Issuu

volume XCIX • issue 1

high holy days 5787

‫קהילת ישורון‬

SHALOM KJ TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

ARTICLES

WELCOME TO KJ

MEN’S CLUB

UPCOMING EVENTS

TRIBUTE TO RUDY ARJUNE

SEPHARDIC & YOUTH

WEEKLY CLASSES

HIGH HOLY DAYS

CHATANIM

COMMUNITY NEWS

HIGH HOLY DAYS SCHEDULE

ZMANIM

FRONT COVER:

In 1973, the State of Israel issued a set of 12 commemorative postage stamps depicting stained-glass "Jerusalem Windows" created by Marc Chagall, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. These stamps are memorialized on the cover page of this bulletin, surrounding a stained-glass window from within KJ's own Sanctuary. Cover design by Ruthie Hollander.

HOW DO YOU GET THROUGH THE BAD TIMES? rabbi chaim steinmetz At 10:45 on October 7th, five terrorists burst into the safe room in Eli Sharabi's home in Kibbutz Be'eri. Eli was hiding there, together with his wife, Lian, and their daughters, Noya, age 16, and Yahel, age 13, and their family dog. The dog barked, and terrorists shot it on the spot. They were brought to the living room, where five more terrorists were standing. They separated Eli from his wife and daughters and took him to Gaza. He never saw Lian, Noya, and Yahel again. Hamas murdered them. Hamas held Eli hostage for 491 days, and he suffered endlessly at their hands. Even though Eli was utterly helpless, he was beaten anyway. While bound and being taken into Gaza, a passing terrorist casually kicked him in the ribs, breaking them. The chains on his hands were so tight that they ripped his skin. Eli was dramatically underfed; his weight went from 162 lb. before captivity to 97 lb. afterward. Some terrorists took delight in psychological torture. They would tell the hostages that no one in Israel cared about them; they would threaten the hostages' lives, and boast about the deaths of the hostages’ loved ones. Right before leaving Gaza, a terrorist told Eli that they had murdered his brother Yossi. Eli has been to hell and back. He wrote a book about his ordeal, Hostage, which became an Israeli bestseller. The English translation has since been published and has become a bestseller as well. Once I opened the book, I couldn't put it down. And one thought kept popping up in my mind while I was reading the book: What would I do if I were in the very same position as Eli? What would I have done had I been dragged out of my house into the tunnels of hell? I was searching for the answer to a fundamental life question: What is the secret to resilience? Three lessons from the book offer answers to this question. The first lesson is to love life. Sharabi repeatedly emphasizes his desire to live. Early in his captivity, they took him to a tunnel hidden in a mosque. He stops and refuses to enter; he absolutely doesn't want to be in the tunnels. The terrorists tell him he must go in, but Eli refuses again. Finally, they make it clear that they will kill Eli if he doesn't go. So Eli went in. In his book, he reflects on that moment: “I can choose. Either to enter the tunnel or to die... I can choose to end my life here and now, to resist until the terrorist shoots me and I fall, bleeding, on the corridor floor. I can choose this, just as I could have chosen to resist back in the shelter at home, until they shot me and killed me. There are people who made such a choice.” But Eli chose life. Judaism treats life as sacred. The Torah tells us to “choose life,” and as the Talmud explains, this means not just to live, but also to make a living and live well. Any danger to human life overrides the commandments. Each morning we thank God for another day of life, and during the first ten days of the year, we pray for life three times a day, asking God to remember us for life and to inscribe us in the Book of Life. Judaism is about loving life.

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But there is a big caveat here. It sounds easy to love life. That may be true when life is good. But what about when it's not? What if a terrorist is pointing a gun at your head and telling you to get into a tunnel of torment? Eli chose life right at that very difficult moment. And even though he knew he was entering a living hell, he chose life anyway. I have heard multiple Holocaust survivors talk about making the same choice. My friend Mickey, may his memory be a blessing, was a Holocaust survivor who was visited with the awful tragedy of losing his only child later in life. He used to tell me: “You love life like you love your children; not because it's good, but because it's yours.” It isn't always easy to choose life. But that is the secret to resilience; those who do choose life can find the courage to go to hell and back. The second lesson of resilience is to have faith. Eli, who is not at all religious, began saying the Shema in the tunnels. He said he repeated it over and over like a mantra. The hostages with him recited prayers they knew from their youth, including the Grace after Meals and the morning blessings. Omer Shem Tov found a page with the twentieth Psalm that an Israeli soldier had left behind. His captors grudgingly let him keep it, and Omer recited it every day. It turns out that at the same time, Omer's mother Shelley randomly came across a flyer with the twentieth Psalm on it and recited it daily as well. On two sides of the Gaza border, a mother and son recited this Psalm, praying to be reunited with each other. Agam Berger insisted on observing Shabbat in the tunnels. On the helicopter returning her from Gaza, she wrote on a whiteboard: “I chose the path of faith, and with the path of faith I have returned.” Faith gave the hostages resilience. People often dismiss this type of faith as a product of fear; the old saying is, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” But that's not how these hostages explain their newfound faith. Their crisis forced them to rethink their priorities and search for meaning and purpose, which they found in faith. The Lubavitcher Rebbe would emphasize that when one has faith in God, one is never alone. This is a profound psychological insight: the consciousness of those who believe is dramatically different. In the tunnels of hell, Eli, Omer, and Agam discovered that faith connects you to God, past generations, and Jews around the world. They were never alone. The third lesson is that when you have a mission, you can take on anything. Eli tells of the days in captivity he spent with Hersh Goldberg-Polin. Hersh would repeat the saying, “He who has a why can bear with any how.” Viktor Frankl popularized this phrase and it gave enormous support to all the hostages that Hersh met. This quote also describes the Jewish people. No matter how difficult it may have been, we never let go of our mission. On Rosh Hashanah we remember the Akedah, the binding of Isaac, when Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac. The shofar we sound is a reminder of the ram that replaced Isaac as a sacrifice. Both the Torah reading and the Musaf prayer repeat the Akedah story. In short, the binding of Isaac takes center stage on Rosh Hashanah. The Talmud explains why. It says that mentioning the Akedah is our way of reminding God about Abraham's heroic faith. When tested, Abraham's faith never wavered.

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In other words, on Rosh Hashanah we try to hold on to Abraham's coattails in order to be judged favorably. But I'd like to offer a different explanation. Abraham may have been the first Jew to make a great sacrifice for his faith, but he certainly was not the only one to do so. There were many holy martyrs through the ages, including the 1,200 kedoshim of October 7th. Rabbi Ephraim of Bonn, the twelfth-century chronicler of the Crusaders' attacks on the Jews, wrote a midrash on the binding of Isaac which concludes with this prayer: Recall to our credit the many Akedahs, The saints, men and women, slain for Thy sake. Remember the righteous martyrs of Judah, Those that were bound of Jacob. Read these words carefully. Rabbi Ephraim is saying that the people of his generation were greater than Abraham; they had sacrificed even more than he had. This gives us a very different understanding of the Akedah theme on Rosh Hashanah. Generations of Jews read this story on Rosh Hashanah and saw their own community in the mirror; it was the story of their own lives. They stood with pride on Rosh Hashanah because they had passed the test. They had shown incredible faith while being persecuted and abused and courageously clung to their identity with a knife to their throats. On October 7th, we saw another generation of heroes who followed in Abraham's footsteps. I once had the chance to hear Edan Alexander speak at an FIDF dinner. Edan, who is from New Jersey, volunteered for the IDF as a lone soldier. On October 7th he was taken from his base and held captive for 584 days. After dinner Edan spoke briefly about the horror of that experience and his gratitude for being back home. And then he said something remarkable: he announced that he would return to Israel and rejoin the IDF. And he did exactly that. After being a hostage for 584 days, Edan returned to his IDF unit. This is what a true mission looks like. Throughout our history, a passion for life, a strong faith, and a powerful sense of mission have allowed Jews to endure the worst of times. That is why we are here today, and that is why our grandchildren's grandchildren will continue to be Jews. One more point. At the end of the book, Sharabi tells of the day of his release. When he was about to get off the helicopter, one of the officers with him offered Eli an Israeli flag and asked if he wanted to wrap himself in it. Eli said yes. The officer told him, “But don't feel pressure—only if you want to.” Eli replied, “I definitely want to.” Having returned from hell, Eli arrived with an Israeli flag on his back, carrying himself and his community with pride. And this is the most important lesson for us. I am always filled with hope. But I am also a realist. There are storm clouds on the horizon; our enemies are growing in strength and numbers. Antisemitism is rising. The world scapegoats Israel, while Israel has maniacal enemies that threaten it daily. It will not be as easy to be a Jew in the future as it is today. We will have a lot to contend with. But we can do it. We can overcome, just like our grandparents and their grandparents and their grandparents before them. They never let go of their faith and mission; they never stopped celebrating life. And because of these courageous people, we are here today. And like them, and like Eli, we will always carry the flag on our back.

Am Yisrael Chai! ✦

CONSCIOUS OR COASTING? Rabbi Roy Feldman My children, by and large, are very serious about Shabbat observance. They know which toys are muktzeh, what should not be used on Shabbat, and so forth. Yet each of them, at one stage or another, went through a phase of loving to press the elevator button. Inevitably, one of them would run excitedly into our building after shul, press the button, and then immediately freeze in horror. Sometimes there were tears. “I forgot it was Shabbat!” Of course, we comforted them. “It was an accident. It's okay. You didn't mean to do it.” But the Torah has a far more demanding view of accidents than we do. In Temple times—and, please God, when the Temple is rebuilt again—an unintentional transgression (shegaga) required a korban, a sacrifice. We tend to think of accidents as morally insignificant. The Torah does not. It insists that even our mistakes deserve reflection. Why? A fascinating debate in the Talmud points toward an answer. On Yom Kippur, the Kohen Gadol confessed his own sins as well as those of the Jewish people. The Sages taught that the confession should proceed from the least severe sins to the most severe: first chatati ("I have sinned unintentionally"), then aviti ("I have sinned intentionally"), and finally pashati ("I have rebelled"). Rabbi Meir, however, reversed the beginning of that order. He insisted that the confession should end with chatati—the accidental sins. The other rabbis were baffled. Surely confession should move from lesser offenses to greater ones. Why conclude with the least serious transgressions? The Talmud never records Rabbi Meir's answer. I suspect Rabbi Meir understood something profound about human nature. Intentional sins, even rebellious ones, have one thing in common: they require awareness. A person who consciously violates God's will is thinking about God at the very moment of transgression. He knows what he is doing. If, one day, he seeks to repent, he remembers the act and can regret it. Accidental sins are different. They are not born of defiance but of distraction. They occur because, in that moment, we simply are not paying attention. Many people think the opposite of love is hate. But that is not quite right. Hatred, though destructive, still reflects a powerful relationship. A child who constantly seeks to defy her parents is, paradoxically, deeply connected to them. Their approval—or disapproval—still matters. The true opposite of love is indifference. It is the child who neither seeks to please nor to rebel because her parents barely enter her thinking at all. The same can be true in our relationship with God. The person who rebels against God at least lives with the awareness that God exists. His relationship may be strained, but it is still a relationship. The person who sins unintentionally may reveal something even more troubling—not rebellion, but distance. God has receded so far into the background of his life that His presence scarcely enters his consciousness. That kind of distance is much harder to repair, because we often do not even realize it exists. Jewish law has a phrase for this condition: hesech hada'at, a “lapse of attention.” We know something, but we are simply not thinking about it. The Torah repeatedly warns us against precisely this spiritual danger: “Take utmost care and watch yourselves scrupulously, so that you do not forget the things that you saw with your own eyes and so that they do not fade from your mind as long as you live…” (Deuteronomy 4:9) We often think of teshuvah as addressing particular misdeeds. We identify what we have done wrong, regret it, and resolve not to repeat it. But there is another kind of teshuvah. After all, the word literally means “return.” Sometimes what we need is not simply to return from a particular sin, but to return to a life of awareness. Sometimes we need to recover a consciousness of God's presence that has slowly faded into the background. Our forefather Yaakov expressed this sentiment beautifully. After dreaming of a ladder stretching from earth to heaven, with angels ascending and descending, Yaakov awoke in astonishment and declared:

“Indeed, the Lord is present in this place and I did not know!” ➤

Those words have always struck me. Yaakov was not confessing rebellion. He had not sinned intentionally. His shock came from something else entirely. God had been there all along. The tragedy was not God's absence, but Yaakov's lack of awareness. “‫”אכן יש ה' במקום הזה ואנכי לא ידעתי‬ His life changed at that moment. He moved from living with lo yadati, “I did not know,” to living with the constant awareness that he stood in God's presence. Perhaps that is Rabbi Meir’s point as well. The deepest work of teshuvah is not merely correcting isolated mistakes. Before we can honestly examine our actions, we must first recover the awareness that gives those actions meaning. The foundation of repentance is not guilt. It is consciousness. That challenge feels particularly urgent today. Our ancestors confronted idolatry. Later generations struggled against powerful ideological movements that sought to replace Torah altogether. Our generation faces a different challenge: Distraction. We move from one email to another, one meeting to the next, one notification after another. We are constantly connected, yet often spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally absent. We rarely reject our deepest values outright. More often, they simply fade into the background beneath the weight of everyday life. Rabbi Yisrael Zev Gustman was one of the great Lithuanian rabbis before the Second World War. One of the few leading Torah scholars to survive the Holocaust, he eventually rebuilt his life and his yeshivah in Israel. During the war, after escaping the Vilna Ghetto with his wife and daughter, he joined the Jewish Partisans hiding in the forests outside the city. When the Partisans realized that a great rabbi had joined them, one approached Rav Gustman with a simple question: “Rabbi, when is Yom Kippur? I'd very much like to observe the holy day of atonement.” The partisans had no calendar. They had no way of knowing what day it was. Rav Gustman looked at him sadly and replied, “I’m sorry. Yom Kippur was three days ago. It fell on Shabbat.” The man was devastated that he had missed Yom Kippur. Then he paused and said, “At least it was Shabbat. So at least I didn't smoke that day.” His lack of awareness had been forced upon him by unimaginable circumstances. Ours, usually, is not. We are blessed to live in an age in which knowledge and information are more accessible than at any other point in Jewish history. We have access to any book we want. Thousands of shiurim are available with the touch of a button. Synagogues, Chabad houses, kollels, and other local organizations offer countless opportunities in every community where Jews are found. We have unprecedented opportunities to grow in our knowledge of Judaism and deepen our relationship with God. And yet we also live in an age overflowing with distractions. That is why one line of the Yom Kippur confession has always resonated with me: “Al cheit shechatanu lefanecha bivli da’at.” Most translations render it, “For the sin we committed before You without knowing.” But perhaps it can also be read another way: “For the sin we committed… of not knowing.” Not ignorance in the intellectual sense, but a failure of awareness. A life in which our highest values are no longer at the forefront of our consciousness. Relationships rarely collapse overnight. They weaken through accumulated inattention. The same is true of our relationship with God. Perhaps that is why Rabbi Meir wanted chatati to come last. Intentional sins certainly require repentance, but they still presume a relationship. Unintentional sins force us to ask a more fundamental question: Have we simply stopped paying attention?

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The call of teshuvah, then, is not only to turn away from sin. It is to return to awareness—to live with a deeper consciousness of God, of the people we love, and of the values we cherish. It is to refuse to coast through life on autopilot. When Yaakov awoke from his dream, he exclaimed, "Indeed, the Lord is in this place—and I did not know." That realization transformed him. May it transform us as well. ✦

Rabbi, No Halakha Today? On What We Celebrate, and the Culture It Creates Rabbi Meyer Laniado A few months ago, as I was walking out of synagogue, I mentioned to a member of our congregation how excited I was about our upcoming communal siyyum on Shulhan Arukh, Orah Haim. I thought he would say something like, “Yes, that is exciting,” or “What a beautiful accomplishment.” But instead, he asked me a very simple question: “Why?” I was not expecting that, and I was honestly a little taken aback. I had not really thought much about the “why.” To me, the excitement was intuitive. I had not fully articulated it, even to myself, so I did not yet have a full answer. My gut reaction was: because this was not done through hour-long classes, but rather through a few minutes every day at minyan, on Shabbat before we take out the Torah, and at Seuda Shelisheit. As I thought more about it, I realized that was one aspect, but not the core of my excitement. The scope and the content, completing Shulhan Arukh, Orah Haim, is itself a real accomplishment. It comprises 697 simanim and covers the halakhot (Jewish laws) from the moment a person opens their eyes in the morning through tefillah, berakhot, Shabbat, holidays, and the entire rhythm of daily and yearly Jewish life. But I have finished sefarim before, both on my own and with others, without making a siyyum. Usually, when I finish something, I move on to the next, without much celebration. So, why was this so uniquely exciting for me? Because I was watching a culture take shape. I realized this one morning when our minyan was running a few minutes late. I was preparing to wish everyone a great day and respect their time. Then a member of the minyan stopped me and said, “Rabbi, no halakha today?” This was from a person who, just a year or two ago, had not been coming to daily minyan. And yet, the daily halakha had become part of his daily rhythm. It was not only that we had learned halakhot. It was that the learning had become anticipated. It had become missed when it was absent. This was the cultural shift I had been watching unfold over seven years: Torah study becoming part of the rhythm of our minyan, day after day, Shabbat after Shabbat. That is what I wanted to celebrate. And I think that is what a siyyum is really about. One of the earliest sources that gives us a window into the meaning of a siyyum is the statement of Abaye in the Talmud (Shabbat 118b). His statement appears in a series of teachings in which different rabbis describe the misva they were especially careful with, and for which they hoped to receive reward. The list includes Seuda Shelisheit, tefillin, and sisit. Then Abaye says: “May reward come to me, for when I would see a young Torah scholar complete his masekhet, I would make a yom tov for the rabbis.” Abaye does not say, “When I finished learning.” He says, “When I saw someone else finish learning.” And, as Rashi notes, the “rabbis” for whom he made the celebration were his students. He was teaching the whole yeshiva what deserves to be celebrated. Why? Because what we celebrate, what we prize, what we platform, and what we rally around in joy and excitement teaches people what to aspire to, what to value, and what to cherish. That is why we have a siyyum. That is why the celebration of a siyyum can exempt those in attendance from fasting during the Fast of the Firstborn on the eve of Pesah, and why it can override the practice of not eating meat during the Nine Days. A siyyum takes Torah learning, which could remain behind the scenes, and brings it into the center of communal life. It says: this is not only something someone learned. This is something we honor and celebrate together. And that is how culture is created: by what we visibly celebrate.

We see this in schools all the time. When a team wins a championship, the excitement in the building can be palpable. When the Knicks were in the playoffs, for example, some schools encouraged students to wear jerseys or team colors. ➤

It is because schools understand that shared excitement creates energy, a sense of belonging, and culture. When something is celebrated publicly, students absorb that it matters. So if Torah study and Torah observance are among a school’s central values, if those are the values the school wants to become part of its students’ inner world, then it has to create visible excitement around them too. What happens when a child comes back from summer vacation and says, “I finished a book of Tanakh,” or “I completed a masekhet,” or “I went to minyan every morning”? Does the room recognize that something significant happened? Does the school, or the student body, celebrate the win? I have seen this done beautifully. I will never forget seeing a class erupt in joy when they completed a book of the Humash, as if they had just won a championship. And that is exactly the point. What we celebrate makes an impression on people. It teaches them what to admire. It teaches them what to strive for. The same is true in our families and in our personal lives. What we celebrate, what we honor, and what we schedule everything else around: those are the values we actually express. Those are the values that shape the culture of our homes. And those are the values by which we will be remembered. As we enter Elul, on the road toward the High Holidays, we are asked to make an honest accounting, not only of what we believe or what we say we value, but of what actually receives our time, our attention, our energy, and our excitement. We should ask ourselves: What do we celebrate? ✦

SHOW, DON’T TELL The 13 attributes of mercy Rabbi JEREMY TEICHMAN The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are a list of thirteen various descriptions of the ways God demonstrates mercy to the world. Both due to practical frequency and spiritual importance, the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are most certainly the highlight prayer during the days leading up to Yom Kippur. They are recited repeatedly in Selichot, which the Sephardic community begin reciting daily at the onset of Chodesh Elul and the Ashkenazic community begin at least four days before Rosh HaShanah, until they are the essential culmination of Tefillat Ne’ilah at the conclusion of Yom Kippur before our judgments are sealed. It is therefore necessary to understand why the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy occupy such a central place in our liturgy at this crucial time. Why was it selected to be both the recurrent and pinnacle prayer during the season of the Yomim Noraim? It is possible that the context of this prayer found in Shemot 34 can help explain. After the Sin of the Golden Calf, God furiously tells Moshe that he will be the lone survivor of Bnei Yisrael as the rest of the nation will be terminated. Moshe prayed and pleaded for our survival, and after succeeding to defend us, God awarded Moshe with a second set of Luchot to preserve amongst Bnei Yisrael. Afterwards, God continued to reveal to Moshe in a dramatic fashion these thirteen attributes of God’s mercy. The cryptic verses there leave a few details unclear. Firstly, why is God telling Moshe these attributes? Secondly, the method of communication is a bit odd. Typically the Torah describes God conversing with Moshe through regular speech. Yet here, God doesn’t just “call” to Moshe, but He also “passes over his face”? What is meant by this? In the Babylonian Talmud’s Tractate Rosh HaShanah 17b, Rabbi Yochanan offers a Midrashic interpretation to answer these questions. Rabbi Yochanan says:

“Were it not explicitly written in the verse, it would be impossible to say this, as it would be insulting to God’s honor. The verse teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, wrapped Himself in a Talit like a Shaliach Tzibbur (Chazan) and showed Moshe the structure of the order of the prayer.” ➤

Although this clarifies the second ambiguity, it’s now more confusing why God wanted to convey this message to Moshe in such a dramatic fashion. after all, Rabbi Yochanan himself says that there was a degree of God belittling Himself in doing such! Additionally, to answer the first inquiry, Rabbi Yochanan is quoted there adding an additional comment: God said to Moshe: Whenever the Jewish people sin, let them act before Me in accordance with this order. Let the Shaliach Tzibbur (Chazan) wrap himself in a Talit and publicly recite the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, and I will forgive them. Similar to Rabbi Yochanan’s previous explanation, this one also increases confusion. On the surface it seems as if saying these words are a magical password that automatically awards us forgiveness. But how can that be? Don’t we need to earn our forgiveness and atonement by truly repenting and changing our ways? There are no shortcuts in true growth and accomplishment, so this should be no different! Accordingly, I would like to suggest that these two questions on Rabbi Yochanan’s explanation answer each other. Perhaps the reason God is undermining Himself is to hint to Moshe that in addition to saying the thirteen attributes describing God’s mercy, you must also act on them. Similar to how God is imitating us and the way we serve Him in prayer, we must imitate Him and act like the way He acts towards us. Merely saying these words as a lip service will not achieve us automatic forgiveness as if we unlocked the secret code to God’s mercy. Instead, as we recite the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy throughout this auspicious period of time, we must find the inspiration to put these words into action, and by doing so, God says we will be forgiven. ✦

HOLY DISRUPTIONS ruthie hollander

In Days of Awe, the Nobel laureate S.Y. (Shai) Agnon recorded a story about an ignorant young boy who could not read Hebrew or pray. One Yom Kippur, this young boy’s father brought him to the synagogue of the Baal Shem Tov, where “the boy sat in the House of Prayer all Yom Kippur without praying, because he did not know how.” The boy loved to play his flute; unbeknownst to his father, he had brought it with them to the synagogue and repeatedly asked to play it. The father tried to restrain his son, but the boy managed to wrest the flute from his pocket during Neilah and blew it loudly, shocking the other worshippers. Neilah is the closing prayer of the holiest day of the year. The Baal Shem Tov finished, and instead of offering rebuke, he shared a powerful sentiment: “This child does not know anything but by dint of his seeing and hearing the prayer of Israel all of this holy day, the prayer’s holy spark kindled a fire in him and the flames of his longing burned higher and higher until his soul nearly expired. Because of the strength of his longing he played the note of his heart truly, without any distraction, for the sole sake of the Name of God… and by this means all the prayers were lifted up.” There are many variations of this tale, and yet all of them end on this note: the disruption of this unknowing child, so pure of heart, allowed the congregation’s prayers to reach God. I have always loved this story. Partly because of its central theme: that the clear, honest voice of the child is the one God wants most. The Talmud records Reish Lakish’s expression that “the world only exists because of the breath of schoolchildren.”

Children view the world differently. Attention, awe, and distress are more accessible to children than to adults. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel connected youthfulness with the state of radical amazement: “My lips are constantly astonished, heartfelt-mute / Like a child stumbling upon an ancient shrine.” ➤

Sometimes I try to imagine looking at the world as a child again. I have the great privilege of watching my daughter experience this world she is learning to live in, and she has moments of clarity that leave me speechless. We walk past a homeless man crying for help, and I look down, away; she asks me why we don’t help him. I tell her I can’t play right now because I’m working; she asks me why I have to work. Why, why, why. There is nothing but naked truth with a child. But I love the story for another reason, too. We are so quick to condemn or dismiss the disruptions of our lives. This is true for those of us with young children, but it’s also more broadly true of our interactions with the universe. When the bus is delayed, or the customer service representative is unhelpful, we become aggravated and resentful: this is not what we want, this is a waste of time, this is not what our lives are for. The people praying in the Baal Shem Tov’s synagogue may well have found the boy’s flute call disruptive. Many were likely in a state of deep concentration, pleading with God on this holy day. To have that kavanah pierced by the sound of a flute was undoubtedly unwanted and aggravating. But these disruptions can remind us that the world is bigger than our personal priorities and needs, that the world does not revolve around our grievances. Perhaps these two ideas are really one. Children are themselves holy disruptions. They interrupt our routines, our assumptions, and our certainty. In doing so, they invite us to see the world differently. Can we reframe these interruptions? Can we begin to see them as moments of opportunity? Can we look away from ourselves and toward the world around us? That’s what I’ll be working on this year. ✦

welcome to kj!

MOREH DANIEL STEINBERG Director of junior congregation

David Steinberg is a dedicated educator passionate about helping children connect with their Jewish heritage in meaningful and engaging ways. Drawing on his years at Ramaz Lower School, where he teaches and founded the Mishmar program, David fosters a warm, supportive environment that encourages curiosity, confidence, and personal growth through social-emotional learning and inquiry-based exploration. He holds a B.Ed. from Herzog College, a B.A. (Honors) in History from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a Master's in Applied Educational Psychology (School Counseling) from Northeastern University.

welcome back to kj sisterhood!

We’re excited to kick off another wonderful year filled with fun, friendship, and meaningful events. Your new Board is:

President: Stephanie Basman Vice Presidents: Nicole Fischer & Elana Vinar Secretary: Pamela Stern

Treasurer: Abby Doft Admin Coordinator: Rose Cirrincione Social Media Coordinator: Leslie Berdugo

We have an exciting year ahead and would love for you to get involved. Join us and be part of the KJ Sisterhood! Email us at kjsisterhood@ckj.org and tell us how you’d like to be involved!

JOIN US AT KESHER’S WELCOME BACK KIDDUSH! We are so excited to see everyone after the summer and can’t wait to kick off another amazing year of Kesher together! Join us on Shabbat, September 19 for a special Welcome Back Kiddush as we reconnect, celebrate, and look forward to an incredible year ahead. We can’t wait to see you there!

Lara Guzik, Talya Levi, & Lexie Tuchman Kesher Presidents

KJ MEN’S CLUB The entire KJ COMMUNITY is invited to join the POPULAR KJ Men’s Club Kiddush Discussion Series on Shabbat at 12:00 pm (AND FILM SHOWINGS ON SUNDAY AFTERNOONS). Organized by KJ Men’s Club President Dr. Mark Meirowitz. ALL ARE WELCOME!

SHABBAT, OCTOBER 10 - KIDDUSH DISCUSSION

ERIC LEVINE: The Jewish Community in America and NYC: What the Future Holds for Us Eric Levine is a noted Attorney, Essayist, Commentator, and Co-Host of the acclaimed WABC Radio program, “Let The Record Show,” where he opines on local, state, federal, and national security issues. He has appeared on FOX Business News, FOX News and CNN. He has also appeared on BBC radio, has been quoted in the New York Times, the Washington Post and Le Monde and has had multiple articles published by JNS.org. He is the Chairman of the Litigation and Government Relations (Lobbying) Departments at the law firm of Eiseman Levine Lehrhaupt & Kakoyiannis, P.C.

KJ MEN’S CLUB FILM SHOWING SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11 @ 7:00 PM - LIGHT SUPPER WILL BE SERVED - NO CHARGE FLOYD ABRAMS: SPEAKING FREELY explores America's commitment to free speech and a free press through the landmark cases of renowned First Amendment attorney Floyd Abrams. The film examines today's most pressing free speech debates-including hate speech, book banning, artificial intelligence, and the internet. Filmmaker Yael Melamede will be present for a post-film Q&A. Co-Sponsored by the American Association of Jewish Lawyers & Jurists and the Jewish Lawyers Guild.

SHABBAT, OCTOBER 17 - KIDDUSH DISCUSSION

ELI BAR-ON: Israel’s Future in the Middle East: More Opportunities Than You Think! Eli Bar-On is the co-founder and CEO of MENA2050, a regional organization advancing cooperation and integration across the Middle East and North Africa. A retired IDF colonel with 25 years of service, he previously served as Deputy Military Advocate General and later as a professor at the Israel National Defense College, where he mentored senior Israeli and international leaders on national security and strategy.

SHABBAT, OCTOBER 24 - KIDDUSH DISCUSSION

CHAVA MOSS KLEINMAN: Living Between Sirens and Silence: Israel’s Children in an Ongoing War Chava Kleinman, M.S.W., is a social worker with more than 25 years of experience supporting individuals, families, and communities throughout Israel. Since October 7, she has been at the forefront of local and national crisis response efforts, developing trauma support programs and providing critical expertise to those affected through the Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund.

SHABBAT, NOVEMBER 14 - KIDDUSH DISCUSSION

ARIELLA NOVECK: The Art of Pro-Semitism - moving beyond responding to hate by reframing the Jewish story through contribution, resilience, shared values and human connection. Ariella Noveck is a broadcast journalist and Co-Founder of BottomLineMedia and Shield Communications PR. She has built her career on strengthening credibility, transparency, and factual integrity across the media landscape. A media strategist and institutional builder, her work spans more than a decade at the forefront of global broadcast and print journalism.

SHABBAT, NOVEMBER 21 - KIDDUSH DISCUSSION DR. NAZEE MOINIAN & BARRY ROSEN: The Iran War: Impact on America, the World and the Iranian Jewish Community Dr. Nazee Moinian holds a Ph.D. in Iran Studies from the University of St Andrews and is an associate fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC. Dr. Moinian has appeared on CNN, Fox News, Fox Business, NPR, News Nation, Newsmax, and international media outlets. Born in Tehran, she immigrated with her family to the United States at the onset of the 1979 revolution. She previously consulted on Iranian affairs for the Council on Foreign Relations and has served as a United Nations envoy for several Jewish nonprofit organizations since 2001. Barry Rosen, former press attache at the US embassy in Tehran, became, on November 4, 1979, one of 52 Americans held under brutal conditions for 444 days during the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Barry has been an advocate for hostage families since his release from captivity. He is a senior advisor to United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) and was featured in the PBS Documentary “American Experience: Taken Hostage”. He holds graduate degrees from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Public Affairs and Columbia University's Department of Middle East Languages and Cultures.

SHABBAT, DECEMBER 5 - KIDDUSH DISCUSSION

DR. REBECCA MANNIS: Solomon and Synapses: How Jewish Thought and Modern Neuroscience Unlock Neurodiversity Dr. Rebecca Mannis is a learning specialist with a Ph.D. in Developmental Neuropsychology. Ivy Prep, her Upper East Side practice, provides customized services to children and adults across the lifespan, as well as schools and corporations, in New York and globally. She has presented and published widely and is frequently featured as an expert in print and digital media.

SHABBAT, DECEMBER 12 - KIDDUSH DISCUSSION

11 12

DR. DAVID HASAN: Building Hope Through Peace-Focused Education in Gaza Dr. David Hasan, President and CEO of The Gaza Children Village (Physicians, educators, specialists, and field leaders working together to build systems of education, healthcare, protection, and opportunity for children in Gaza), Co-Founder of Lumiflies, a platform fostering connection & hope between Palestinians and Israelis and Professor of Neurology at Duke University. He has focused on humanitarian aid for Gaza, completing multiple medical missions and helping deliver millions of dollars in medicine, food, equipment & critical supplies.

UPCOMING EVENTS The 20th Annual Florence Fishel Cohen Teshuvah Lecture Thursday / September 17 / 7:30 PM / Yom Kippur and Probing Personal Identity Featuring Rabbi Saul J. Berman, a distinguished Modern Orthodox scholar, educator, and activist. Ordained at Yeshiva University, he holds a J.D. from NYU and an M.A. from UC Berkeley, with advanced Jewish-law studies in Israel. A pioneer in addressing issues of women’s roles, ethics, and civil rights, he was active in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement and has been a leading voice on Jewish law and social justice. He has served as rabbi, professor, and community leader, shaping Modern Orthodox thought for decades. The naming of the lecture in memory of Florence Cohen was made possible by a generous commitment from the Nathan and Louise Goldsmith Foundation. The Directors of the Foundation knew Florence personally because all of its meetings were held in Rabbi Lookstein’s office. They appreciated the devotion and love that Florence demonstrated toward the Rabbi, the congregation, Ramaz and the Nathan and Louise Goldsmith Foundation Board Members during her forty-year tenure. They felt it would be appropriate to memorialize such a cherished member of the KJ administrative staff in this special way.

Shabbat Shuva Drasha Shabbat Ha’azinu / September 19 / Following 9:00 am Services "How to Repent without Doing Repentance: The Curious Case of Rosh Hashanah" Presented by Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz. Dedicated by Suzy and Larry Present in memory of Suzy’s parents, Sarah and Emanuel Goldberger.

Leah Modlin Annual Lecture on Caring & Community Service Shabbat Chayei Sarah / November 7 / Following 9:00 AM Services Featuring Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, Director of Chabad Bondi, a senior rabbi in Sydney, Australia, a noted scholar and expert in Jewish law, and Senior Dayan of Sydney Beth Din. This Annual Lecture is endowed by Barrie Modlin in honor of his beloved wife, Leah.

Norman z”l & Tova Bulow Annual Shabbaton

Shabbat / November 13-14 Rabbi Yuval Cherlow is one of Israel’s leading Religious-Zionist thinkers, a renowned Rosh Yeshiva, ethicist, and public intellectual. A founder of Tzohar and a longtime leader of Yeshivat Orot Shaul, he has brought the voice of Torah to some of the most urgent questions facing Israeli society—from war and medical ethics to technology, public policy, and the challenges of modern Jewish life.

Living judaism Judaism teaches us how to live, not just what to believe. Living Judaism, a year-long course in the foundations of Judaism, transcends academic knowledge to show how Judaism is alive and celebrated in the modern world. Taught by Rabbi Daniel and Rachel Kraus, Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, Rabbi Roy Feldman, Rabbi Meyer Laniado, as well as guest presenters, it is a comprehensive, year-long course covering major themes in Jewish law, practice and thought. Explore how a 5,500-yearold religion is more relevant today than ever before. Wednesdays - 7:00 pm (Location - 125 East 85 Street)

Annual Sisterhood Chanukah Boutique

Sunday / November 22 / 10:00 am - 4:00 PM Exciting new vendors! Handcrafted Judaica, kids' clothes, accessories, toys, women's high fashion and sparkling jewelry, home decor, and much more! Onsite sofer will check your Mezuzot & Tefillin from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM. Expert sofer Rabbi Shmuel Bodenheim is available to service the KJ family year-round and is reachable at 917-620-0803.

KJ/RAMAZ Blood Drive

Sunday / November 22 / 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM In the Lindenbaum Gymnasium. To schedule your donation time, visit here - donate.nybc.org/donor/schedules/zip. Complimentary bagel breakfast and pizza lunch for all blood donors! Please remember to bring an I.D. and to eat and drink lots of fluids before your donation.

KJ Annual Dinner

Saturday Night / December 12 / 8:00 PM / Ramaz Upper School, 60 East 78th Street Celebrating Rabbi Steinmetz’s Ten-Year Anniversary Come celebrate the milestone anniversary of our senior Rabbi, Chaim Steinmetz, and reflect upon his superlative contributions to the KJ family. Pastor, preacher, political firebrand, friend to so many, beloved by all. This is an opportunity to celebrate not just one man, but the congregational family institution that he represents and leads so wonderfully.

THE UNFORGETTABLE RUDY As we were going to press with our High Holy Day issue, Rudy Arjune, our long-time Engineer and Superintendent, was breathing his last in a hospital in Las Vegas where he was living in retirement. Rudy served KJ and Ramaz for thirty-three years with love, devotion, wisdom and unlimited energy. He was, quite literally, a member of our family. We mourn his passing and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and to the community which he served with boundless devotion. In tribute to him, and to his life’s work at KJ, we offer the loving words spoken by Rabbi Haskel Lookstein which were delivered at a special presentation to Rudy at the 137th KJ Annual Meeting, April 29, 2009. Twenty-five years ago in 1984, we were in desperate need of a superintendent to manage our main synagogue and the Synagogue House and Ramaz School building. God smiled upon us and sent us a shaliach in the form of Stanley Gurewitsch, who was then a Vice President of KJ, serving under then President, Benjy Brown. Stanley found a young Rudy Arjune, who was then an employee in one of his buildings and who was highly recommended by the super for whom he was working. Stanley should become a shadchan because he created a marriage between Rudy and KJ/Ramaz that was literally made in heaven. There are three factors that make this a heavenly marriage for Rudy and for us. 1. Rudy is very smart. He is a quick learner; a self starter; a phenomenal organizer who anticipates needs. He knows more Hebrew words by now than a lot of Ramaz alumni and that’s not a rap on Ramaz; it’s praise for Rudy. Kinos for Tisha B’Av; Megillas for the Festivals; Hagaddahs for Pesach; purchase of chametz, Machzorim for the High Holy Days; Sechach (and good weather!) for the Sukkah; a mechitza for special occasions. Long before Riva, Lenny or the rabbis are thinking about these things, Rudy has planned for them. 2. He has excellent technical knowledge and skill in building systems and management of his men. During the course of his twenty-five years, he has saved our institutions tens of thousands of dollars by preventive maintenance, by doing a lot of plumbing and electrical work himself and by helping us to avoid mistakes. In these days of cost-cutting, he has been of tremendous help in rescheduling his staff to get the job done right without costly overtime. He was extremely vital to the planning of the systems in the new Middle School building across the street and he is continuing that role in planning for the current renovation of our main synagogue and the synagogue house/Ramaz Lower School building. 3. His greatest quality, however, is not his head or his mind, but his heart: his boundless love for our shul and for our school and for the KJ/Ramaz family that he serves. He talks about “my children,” “my shul,” “my school.” His relationship to KJ/Ramaz is like the best kind of marriage. It’s not a job; it’s a calling. Rudy says very often that he knows he is doing God’s work and he believes he is serving God by making sure that the shul and the school function well and that the children are safe and that the people are able to daven (that’s his word!). Where do you get that kind of commitment? It can’t be bought. There isn’t enough money in the world to pay for it. It has to come from the heart of a wonderful person who worries about everything and anything that affects our community because it’s his community and it’s his calling. And so, Rudy, we want to thank you and we do so with a prayer that we recite every Shabbos morning. I say Shabbos because Rudy doesn’t speak Sephardit; he doesn’t know from Shabbat; he only knows Shabbos. ‫ וישלח ברכה‬.‫ הקב"ה ישלם שכרם ויסיר מהם כל מחלה וירפא לכל גופם ויסלח לכל עוונם‬,‫וכל מי שעוסקים בצרכי ציבור באמונה‬ .‫והצלחה בכל מעשה ידיהם עם כל ישראל אחיהם ונאמר אמן‬ Rudy, in case you didn’t get all of the Hebrew words, let me use the translation from the new Koren Prayer Book that we are about to introduce into our synagogue (that’s one thing you didn’t even know about). In the beautiful translation of the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, Jonathan Sacks, we pray: May all who faithfully occupy themselves with the needs of the community be blessed by the Holy One. May He give them their reward; May He remove from them all illness, grant them complete healing, and forgive all their sins (even Rudys have sins) May He send blessing and success to all the work of their hands, together with all Israel their brethren; and let us all say: Amen.

Please Give Generously THIS High Holy Day Season To Our KJ Family, We are entering the season of “prayer, penitence and charity,” but we always start with charity; and our charity begins with the Sandy Eisenstat Benevolent Fund of KJ. That Fund has very extensive needs now. We spent over $1 million since October 7, 2023 supporting our brothers and sisters in Israel. We accomplished great things with that support, including providing IDF units with life-saving equipment through an effort spearheaded by Dan Polisar. Our founding contribution to the Polisar effort enabled Dan to raise millions more because we said YES at the very beginning of his campaign. However, in contributing almost $1 million to Israel’s needs we virtually emptied our reserves which today are still half empty. We desperately need to replenish our Benevolent Fund. In addition, we need to help families in our community who depend on us. These include people who used to be donors and who are now recipients. Finally, we need to respond to institutions and causes, which call upon a community like ours for support. Please respond as generously as you can to this appeal for Tzedakah which we make twice a year: before Rosh Hashanah and before Pesach. Please send your gift to the KJ Benevolent Fund by check or online by visiting ckj.org/form/kjs-benevolent-fund-hhd-5787 or in any way which enables you to perform a great mitzvah during this High Holy Day season. May the coming year enable all of us to be donors rather than recipients. Chaim Steinmetz

Haskel Lookstein

Roy Feldman

Meyer Laniado

Daniel Kraus

Rachel Kraus .

THE HEIGHT OF CHESED

Congratulations to KJ member Jamie Lassner, Executive Director of Accessibility Accelerator, on an extraordinary Mount Kilimanjaro expedition that achieved several historic Jewish milestones: the largest and highest-elevation minyan ever held on Kilimanjaro, the first Torah brought to the Roof of Africa, and the first known Bar Mitzvah celebrated on the mountain during Shabbat Mincha. At 19,341 feet, Accessibility Accelerator and Paratrek brought together 66 climbers with disabilities, injured IDF soldiers, a Nova survivor, students, educators, first responders, veterans, families, and community leaders. Together, they demonstrated the power of accessibility, inclusion, faith, resilience, and shared responsibility. To support Jamie’s outstanding charity and its important work, please click here: https://accessibilityaccelerator.org/

KIDS K IDS P PROGRAMS ROGRAMS The KJ Youth Department welcomes families to join us for our Fall programs & events: Erev Rosh Hashanah Day Camp for Nursery-K and Grades 1-4 Friday, September 11 / 10 AM - 1 PM Join KJYD for a day of exciting activities including a pizza lunch, arts & crafts, chesed, a challah bake, and sports. Registration required: ckj.org/form/erevrhcamp. Middle School Afternoon of Chesed / Grades 5-7 Monday, September 14 / Following School Dismissal - 3 PM Join KJYD for a chesed program on an early day off school. Registration required: ckj.org/form/chesedsep14. Paw Patrol Shabbat / Early Childhood Shabbat, September 19 / Groups Begin 10 AM Curious about KJ Youth Groups? Here’s your chance to introduce your little ones to Shabbat morning groups. We’ll have special Paw PatrolThemed Parent-Tot Circle Times in our Pre-K/K and Nursery groups at 10:15 AM and 10:30 AM, respectively. Erev Sukkot Day Camp / Nursery-K; Grades 1-4 Friday, September 25 / 10 AM - 1 PM Join KJYD for a day of exciting activities including a pizza lunch, arts & crafts, and sports. Registration required: ckj.org/form/erevsukkotcamp. Hoshana Rabbah Day Camp / Nursery-K; Grades 1-4 Friday, October 2 / 10 AM - 1 PM Join KJYD for a day of exciting activities including a pizza lunch, a movie, and arts & crafts. Registration required: ckj.org/form/hoshanarabbahcamp. New to our community or KJYD Groups? Welcome! We’re here to help!

We’re Morah Ruthie & Morah Sophia, and we run KJ’s youth department. We want to make sure every child feels excited, safe, and enthusiastic joining us each week. Please reach out to us with any questions (ruthie@ckj.org), or introduce yourself on Shabbat morning. KJYD’s Shabbat morning groups begin at 10 AM!

5787 / 2026-27 WEEKLY CLASSES 9:15 AM / Sundays with Charles Zami & Benny Zalta — Sephardic Youth Program (Tier I) Seudah Shlishit / Shabbat Afternoons with Charles Zami — Sephardic Youth Program (Tier II) WITH RABBI LANIADO 7:30 AM / Sundays — Jewish Polity & Societal Structure 9:00 AM / Mondays — Bitachon: Trusting God in an Uncertain World

7:50 AM / Monday-Friday — Daily Shulkhan Arukh Seudah Shlishit / Shabbat — Shulkhan Arukh in Depth

BAR MITZVAH PROGRAMS BAR FOR ALL KJ MEMBERS FOR Shabbat Middle School Beit Midrash For Boys in Grades 6–8 and Their Fathers Boys in grades 6–8 are invited to join our Shabbat afternoon Beit Midrash, focused on serious Torah learning from inside the text. Students will work directly with classic sources, ask thoughtful questions, and develop the skills to read carefully and think independently. Fathers are welcome to join. Sessions will take place in the KJ Library, 125 East 85th Street, beginning one hour before Minha. The class is taught by Rabbi Meyer Laniado. For questions, please email rml@ckj.org. 6th Grade Father/Son Bar Mitzvah Program Sixth-grade boys and their fathers are invited to join a special series of interactive workshops, hands-on experiences, and father-son learning in preparation for Bar Mitzvah. Led by KJ rabbis, the program explores tefillah, tefillin, hesed, Jewish identity, leadership, responsibility, and synagogue participation. Special sessions will include a sofer workshop, a hesed opportunity, and a father-son minyan in which the boys begin developing practical leadership skills. For questions or additional information, please email Rabbi Meyer Laniado at rml@ckj.org.

RN WITH K EA

PENINEI HALAKHA: LAWS OF PRAYER taught by Rabbi Roy Feldman Make Torah a part of every day. Our community of over 300 participants in our Daily WhatsApp Group will complete Peninei Halakha: The Laws of Prayer just after the High Holy Days, and begin a new series on The Laws of Festivals shortly thereafter. Peninei Halakha is a revolutionary series of books by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, making Jewish law clear and reasonable, and easy to study. A short blurb will be provided on WhatsApp each day, plus a weekly audio recap by Rabbi Feldman, and communal siyum when we conclude the laws of prayer. For individuals and families, all levels welcome.

MOTHER & DAUGHTERS BAT MITZVAH PROGRAM Weekly Classes / Sundays 10:00-11:00 AM 2027: February 7 / 14 / 21 / 28 March 7 / 14 / 21 / 28 April 4 To register, please visit ckj.org/batmitzvah. 17

ROSH HASHANAH SEDER Prepared by Rachel & Rabbi Daniel Kraus

Dates

‫תמר‬

Pomegranate

‫רימון‬

Carrots

‫גזר‬

‫בוֹתינוּ‬ ֵ ‫הי ֲא‬-‫א‬ ֵ ֵ‫הינוּ ו‬ֵ ‫הֹוָ ה ֱא‬- ְ‫ י‬‫יְ ִהי ָרצוֹן ִמלְּ ָפנֶ י‬ .‫ֹויבנּו וְ שֹנְ ֵאינּו וְ כֹל ְמ ַב ְק ֵשי ָר ָע ֵתנּו‬ ֵ ‫ֶשיִּ ַתמּו א‬

‫בוֹתינוּ‬ ֵ ‫הי ֲא‬-‫א‬ ֵ ֵ‫הינוּ ו‬ֵ ‫הֹוָ ה ֱא‬- ְ‫ י‬‫יְ ִהי ָרצוֹן ִמלְּ ָפנֶ י‬ .‫ְשׁנִ ְהיֶ ה ְמלֵ ִאים ִמ ְצווֹת כְּ ִרימוֹן‬

May this be a year in which bitterness is removed from our lives and sweetness endures.

May we live lives filled with mitzvot, May the harshness of judgment be kindness, and purpose as abundant as the sweetened, and may our path be filled with compassion and clarity. seeds in this fruit.

As you eat the date, reflect on what negativity you hope to leave behind in the year ahead.

Think of one new mitzvah, or act of goodness, you hope to add to your life this year.

Apple & Honey

‫תפוח‬ ‫ודבש‬

Beets

‫סלקא‬

‫ֹלֵה י ֲא בוֵת ינּו‬-‫ֹלֵה ינּו ֵו א‬- ‫ֹהָו ה ֱא‬- ‫ְי ִה י ָר צוֹן ִמ ְל ָפ ֶנ יך ְי‬ .‫ֶשׁ ִתגְ זֹר ָעלֵ ינּו ְג ֵז רוֹת טוֹבוֹת‬

Focus on what you hope to grow in yourself this year; imagine cutting away whatever stands in the way.

Pumpkin or Gourd

‫קרע‬

‫בוֹתינוּ‬ ֵ ‫הי ֲא‬-‫א‬ ֵ ֵ‫הינוּ ו‬ֵ ‫הֹוָ ה ֱא‬- ְ‫ י‬‫יְ ִהי ָרצוֹן ִמלְּ ָפנֶ י‬ .‫תוּקה‬ ָ ‫וּמ‬ ְ ‫טוֹבה‬ ָ ‫ֶשׁ ְתּ ַח ֵדּשׁ ָעלֵ ינוּ ָשׁנָ ה‬

‫בוֹתינוּ‬ ֵ ‫הי ֲא‬-‫א‬ ֵ ֵ‫הינוּ ו‬ֵ ‫הֹוָ ה ֱא‬- ְ‫ י‬‫יְ ִהי ָרצוֹן ִמלְּ ָפנֶ י‬ .‫מב ְק ֵשי ָר ָע ֵתנּו‬ ָ ‫ וְ כָ ל‬‫ וְ שׂוֹנְ ֶאי‬‫ֶשׁיִּ ְס ַתּלְּ קוּ אוֹיְ ֶבי‬

May sweetness overflow in our relationships, our work, and our service to others.

May we remove from our lives all that May this be a year when our true worth is distracts or distances us from our higher revealed, and we are judged with grace and favor. selves.

As you taste the sweetness, visualize the kind of joy and connection you wish to cultivate this year.

Reflect on what internal “enemies” — habits or thoughts — you wish to let go of this year.

Leek

‫כרתי‬

Fish Head

‫ראש של דג‬

‫בוֹתינוּ‬ ֵ ‫הי ֲא‬-‫א‬ ֵ ֵ‫הינוּ ו‬ֵ ‫הֹוָ ה ֱא‬- ְ‫ י‬‫יְ ִהי ָרצוֹן ִמלְּ ָפנֶ י‬ .‫יּוֹתנוּ‬ ֵ ֻ‫ זְ כ‬‫ וְ יִ ָקּ ְראוּ לְ ָפנֶ י‬,‫רוֹע גְּ זַ ר ִדּינֵ נוּ‬ ַ ‫ֶשׁ ִתּ ְק ַרע‬

Think of one hidden quality or strength within yourself you hope will be recognized or nurtured.

New Fruit

‫פרי‬ ‫חדש‬

Second Night Only

‫בוֹתינוּ‬ ֵ ‫הי ֲא‬-‫א‬ ֵ ֵ‫הינוּ ו‬ֵ ‫הֹוָ ה ֱא‬- ְ‫ י‬‫יְ ִהי ָרצוֹן ִמלְּ ָפנֶ י‬ .‫מב ְק ֵשי ָר ָע ֵתנּו‬ ָ ‫ וְ כָ ל‬‫ וְ שׂוֹנְ ֶאי‬‫ֶשיִּ כָ ְרתּו אוֹיְ ֶבי‬

‫בוֹתינוּ‬ ֵ ‫הי ֲא‬-‫א‬ ֵ ֵ‫הינוּ ו‬ֵ ‫הֹוָ ה ֱא‬- ְ‫ י‬‫יְ ִהי ָרצוֹן ִמלְּ ָפנֶ י‬ .‫א לְ זָ נָ ב‬ ְ‫ֶשׁנִּ ְהיֶ ה לְ רֹאשׁ ו‬

May we have the courage to cut ties with what no longer serves our growth, to stand firm in our values.

May we lead with vision, integrity, and May we welcome this year with new beginnings, fresh blessings, and open purpose — in all areas of our lives. hearts.

Identify one toxic influence — external or internal — that you wish to distance yourself from this year.

Envision where you hope to lead in your family, community, or work and what kind of leader you strive to be.

‫ ָהעוֹלָ ם‬ ֶ‫הינוּ ֶמל‬ֵ ‫הוָ ה ֱא‬- ְ‫ ַא ָתּה י‬‫ָבּרוּ‬ .‫ֶשׁ ֶה ֱחיָ נוּ וְ ִקיְּ ָמנוּ וְ ִהגִּ ָיענוּ לַ זְּ ַמן ַהזֶּ ה‬

As you bite into this fruit, invite in one new experience or hope you wish to manifest this year.

ROSH HASHANAH

Communal DinneR Communal DinneR Usher in the New Year with your KJ Family. Join Rabbi Daniel and Rachel Kraus and family for a sumptuous holiday meal featuring apples and honey, the traditional symbols, and a festive spirit.

ROSH HASHANAH AND YOM KIPPUR WORKSHOP

With Rachel & Rabbi Daniel Kraus

7:00 PM • September 2 In-Person • 125 E. 85th St

Friday, September 11, at 7:45 PM 125 East 85th Street

SUKKOT AND SUKKOT AND SIMCHAT SIMCHAT TORAH TORAH

WORKSHOP

With Rachel & Rabbi Daniel Kraus

7:00 PM • September 16 In Person • 125 E. 85th St

HIGH HOLY DAY HIGHLIGHTS The Month of Elul Sounding of the Shofar each morning after Shacharit. Recitation of the entire Book of Psalms at KJ. Selichot in the Main Synagogue with Cantor Chaim Dovid Berson: Saturday Night, Sep 5, at 10:00 PM. Beginning Monday, September 7: Daily Selichot Services, a half-hour before morning services. Rosh Hashanah Shabbat and Sunday, September 12 & 13. Shofar around 10 AM on Sunday (only). Those ill at home or in the hospital should contact Rabbi Feldman, rrf@ckj.org, to arrange for Shofar. Rituals to Remember: Light candles and recite Shehecheyanu blessing Rosh Hashanah Kiddush Wash hands and say motzi over two round challahs and dip pieces in honey (through Hoshanah Rabbah) First Night: Rosh Hashanah greeting upon leaving shul is “L’shana haba’ah tikateivu v’tichateimu — May you be inscribed for a Good Year.” Second Night: At Kiddush, recite Shehecheyanu, preferably with a new fruit in mind, and eat the fruit after hamotzi. When the second night begins Saturday night, Kiddush also includes Havdalah: add the blessings over the candle and Havdalah (Borei Me’orei HaEish and Hamavdil) in their proper places in Kiddush. There is no blessing over spices. Second Day: Join KJ for Tashlich on Sunday, September 13, at 5:00 PM. Assemble at Central Park’s “Turtle Pond” by the castle south of the Great Lawn near 85th St, or at Carl Schurz Park at 86th St and the East River. 10 DAYS OF PENITENCE Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur Tsom Gedaliah: Monday, September 14 Mikveh on Yom Kippur Eve: On the eve of Yom Kippur, there is a custom for men to immerse in the mikveh in preparation. Our practice at KJ is that we observe this custom as a group before the morning service. All MEN are invited to assemble at the mikveh, 419 East 77th Street at 6:15 AM on Sunday, September 20. Everyone will have the opportunity to immerse and then we will return to KJ for 7:10 AM Shacharit services.

Yom Kippur Avoid food, drink, washing, lotions/oils, and marital relations. Wear a pair of non-leather footwear. Men are strongly encouraged to wear a white kitel which can be obtained at our neighborhood store, Judaica Classics by Doina: (212)-722-4271.

SUKKOT HIGHLIGHTS Sukkot All meals with bread or mezonot should be eaten in a Sukkah. Lulav and Etrog will be used beginning Sunday, September 27, and are not used on Shabbat. Sukkot Meal Purchase: Sukkot catered meals require advance reservations. They will be served in two buildings. To register, visit ckj.org/sukkot; for assistance, contact sy@ckj.org. Tables 1-21 are located on the 8th Floor Roof of the Ramaz Middle School: 114 East 85th Street. Tables 63 and up are located on the 9th Floor Roof of the Ramaz Lower School: 125 East 85th Street. Lulav & Etrog Purchase: You may purchase a Lulav and Israeli Etrog, $55, through KJ by visiting ckj.org/LulavandEtrog. Sets are available for pickup in the Riklis Social Hall (125 East 85 Street) on Thursday, Sept 24, from 7:308:45 PM, and Friday, Sept 25, from 8:00-10:30 AM. Shabbat Chol Hamoed Kohelet is read by our High Schoolers. Thank you to all of our community Readers. HOSHANAH RABBAH Friday morning, October 2, 6:30 AM. Close of the penitential season High Holy Day melodies. Seven circuits around the shul with Lulav and Etrog and beating of the Aravot. President’s breakfast sponsored by Phyllis and Jonathan Wagner. Shemini atzeret Yizkor and the Prayer for Rain are recited. Chatanim are presented to the congregation. Simchat Torah Simchat Torah Eve: Saturday Evening, October 3. Our joyous evening of Hakafot in the Main Synagogue (Evening Services begin at 6:10 pm) concludes with singing and dancing in the street. Hakafot followed by a Simchat Torah extravaganza in the Ramaz Middle School featuring a festive dairy kiddush supper, ice cream bar, and a carnival of activities and entertainment for children of all ages. Simchat Torah Day: Sunday, October 4. Hakafot with singing and dancing. Chatanim are called to the Torah. Youth groups begin at 10 AM. Women’s Tefilah Group at 9:15 AM. Buffet kiddush lunch following services.

TORAH HONORS ON SHEMINI ATZERET & SIMCHAT TORAH The Officers of the Congregation are pleased to announce that David Shipper, Jeff Fisher, and Sol Adler, three distinguished members of the Congregation, have been chosen for the highest Torah honors of the year. Their installation will take place before the Musaf Service on Shemini Atzeret, October 3.

CHATAN TORAH: DAVID SHIPPER David W. Shipper is a proud third-generation member of KJ who has always believed in giving back to the community that has given so much to him. A real estate attorney for more than 40 years, David has also demonstrated a deep commitment to service and leadership. He served three terms as President of the New York Law School Alumni Association and as a member of the law school’s Board of Trustees.

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David is perhaps best known in our community for his extraordinary dedication to Hatzolah. For 36 years, he has volunteered his time and expertise to help others in their moments of greatest need. Alongside his brother, Andrew, he serves as a coordinator of the Upper East Side Division and, for the past 20 years, has served on the Executive Board of Chevra Hatzalah. To David, volunteering is about being there when someone needs you—giving of yourself, showing up, and making a difference without expecting recognition. His decades of service exemplify responsibility, community, and the belief that true leadership is measured by the lives we touch. And then, five years ago, along came Susan Goldberg… Today, Susan and David share a life filled with family, love, laughter, and adventure. Together, they enjoy Susan’s four children, 17 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, with another on the way—b’li ayin ha’ra! Whether in New York City, Florida, Europe, or Israel, Susan and David appreciate the many blessings life has given them and never take a moment—or each other—for granted.

CHATAN BEREISHIT: JEFF FISHER Jeff Fisher’s connection to Kehilath Jeshurun spans generations, rooted in the Jewish values instilled by his grandparents, Hilda and Jack Schulder, and his education at The Brandeis School. He is especially grateful to share this honor with his parents, Sylvia and Bert Fisher, and gives thanks to Hashem for the many blessings bestowed upon his family. For more than 15 years, Jeff and co-chair Jessica Weiss have led KJ’s blood drives in partnership with the New York Blood Center, collecting approximately 250 pints annually and potentially helping save up to 750 lives. His commitment to chesed has also included volunteering with Bikur Cholim at Lenox Hill Hospital. Jeff became a KJ member 30 years ago when he married Nicole. This December, they will celebrate their 30th anniversary. Nicole serves on the KJ Board and as a Sisterhood Vice President and is a longtime educator who now runs Tailored Tutoring NYC. They are the proud parents of Ramaz graduates Gabe, Jack, and Matthew and have joyfully celebrated the marriages of Gabe & Paola and Jack & Cal. Professionally, Jeff has spent more than 30 years in technology, including roles at Citrix, Microsoft, and AWS, and currently works in Cyber Reinsurance at Aon. He holds degrees from Cornell University and Columbia Business School. It is especially fitting that Jeff is honored as Chatan Bereishit, as Bereishit recounts the beginning of life. Through his dedication to KJ’s blood drives, Jeff helps give others another chance at life. He is deeply grateful to KJ for this honor and looks forward to celebrating Simchat Torah with his family, friends, and community.

CHATAN MAFTIR: SOL ADLER Sol and his wife, Hailey, will never forget walking through the doors of KJ in 2018 and being welcomed with open arms by Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz. They immediately felt at home and never looked back. Sol quickly became involved with KJ’s Kesher community, leyning and leading minyan whenever needed. In 2021, he joined the Kesher Gabbai team and has proudly served as a Gabbai ever since, helping the minyan run smoothly and contributing to its continued growth. One of the most rewarding parts of his role is welcoming newcomers and helping them feel at home. Sol also assists with other KJ minyanim whenever needed. Sol volunteers as a KJ Safety Marshall, attends weekly Kesher Men’s Basketball games, and served as a bus captain for the November 2023 Rally for Israel in Washington, D.C. He has also helped grow the Annual Kesher Men’s Whiskey Tasting into a signature event with a fundraising component that has raised thousands of dollars for Jewish nonprofits. Sol shares his passion for Judaism and KJ with Hailey, who serves as an Associate Board member and previously served as Kesher President. She is a manager at Deloitte Consulting LLP, specializing in Life Sciences and Health Care. Above all, Sol and Hailey are proud parents of their daughter, Blair, and are excited to welcome their second child this fall. They are deeply grateful to be part of the KJ community that has meant so much to them over the past eight years.

Bnei mitzvah Judah Eli Sheff Mazal Tov to Lauren and Jordan Sheff upon the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Jude, at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on Shabbat morning, September 19th, at which time he will read Parashat Ha'azinu and deliver a D’var Torah. Jude is an eighth-grade student at the Ramaz Middle School.

Piper Buterman Mazal Tov to Ashley and Larry Buterman upon the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter, Piper, which will take place on October 24 at Congregation Orach Chaim. As her Bat Mitzvah project, Piper spent part of her summer at Camp Lavi teaching dance to the Yachad girls, sharing her love of dance and the confidence, joy, and sense of community it has brought to her life. She will speak about her experience following davening on October 24. Piper is a sixth-grade student at the Ramaz Middle School.

Noam Cohen Mazal Tov to Geraldine and Jeremie Cohen upon the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Noam, at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun’s Sephardic Minyan on Shabbat morning, October 24, at which time he will read Parashat Lech Lecha and present a D’var Torah. Noam is a seventh-grade student in the Ramaz Middle School.

new members

Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun warmly welcomes the following new members who joined the congregation between the printing of the last Bulletin on March 5 and this Bulletin, which went to press on September 1: Jasmine & Dr. Michael Amirian

Jason Ganetsky & Simone Weichselbaum

Zoe & Daniel Mosayov

Michael Ari Behar

Rachel & Aviv Ghalchi

Annette Osher

Benjamin Carlin & Ruth Portes

Joshua Grossman & Arielle Siboni

Kyle & Jacqueline Price

Wayne Carlin

Jay Karas & Monica Osborne

Jacob Rand

Sasha & Adam Cooper

Albert Mishaan & Rachel Best Mishaan

Tom & Rebecca Shemia Lizzy Brenner and Sam Zakay

Within Our Family

BIRTHS

Marilyn and Greg Adler upon the birth of a grandson, Max Daniel (Mordechai Yehoshua), born to their children Melissa (Ramaz '18) and Ben Kaplan. Deborah and Barry Berg and Anne and Harry Rosen upon the birth of a grandson, Oliver Grey (Avraham Yitzchak), born to their children Hadley and Michael Berg. Mazal Tov as well to great grandmother Lilly Goldberg. Alison and Sylvain Bergfeld and Debbie and Robert Weiss upon the birth of a grandson, Michael Yehuda, born to their children Racheli and Jacob Bergfeld of Givat Shmuel. Laurie and Dr. Eli Bryk upon the birth of a granddaughter, Jane Nova, born to their children, Jacki and Jeff Karsh in Los Angeles. Elias Buchwald upon the birth of a 5th great grandchild, Hirsh George (Zvi Chaim), born to his grandchildren, Sarah Edelsburg and Adam Aviv, and joining big sister Rosie. Mazal Tov also to KJ grandparents, Monita Buchwald and Charles Edelsburg. Mindy and Dr. Jay Cinnamon upon the birth of a granddaughter, Rayna Josie (Yosefa Chana), born to their children, Ariella Pultman and Michael Cinnamon. Mazal Tov as well to great grandparents Audrey and Rabbi Haskel Lookstein. Dr. Carolyn and Orrin Feingold upon the birth of a granddaughter born to their children, Talia and Yehuda Taragin, son of Rabbi Reuven and Rabbanit Shani Taragin of Alon Shvut. Mazal Tov also to the KJ great grandfather, Dr. Leonard Feingold. Dr. Taryn Fishman and David Bolnick upon the birth of a grandson, Daniel Patrick (Yaakov Yosef), born to their children Sarah Bolnick and Tom Moriarty. Anna (Ramaz 2011) and Elisha Galler upon the birth of a son, Harry Isaac (Hirshel Yitzchak). Mazal Tov to KJ grandparents Phyllis and KJ Board President Jonathan Wagner. Amy and Alex Goldstein upon the birth of a granddaughter, Estelle Adair, born to their children Rebecca and Jake Goldstein. Brigitte Eisenkeit and Matt Horowitz upon the birth of a daughter, Leah Rachel. Michele and Ronald Jaspan upon the birth of a grandson, Zachary Camren, born to their children Hannah and Benjamin Jaspan, joining big brother Nate. Judy and Dr. Hirshel Kahn upon the birth of a grandson, Benjamin Archie (Uri Meyer haKohen), born to their children Stephanie Wilf and Adam Kahn. Sara and Rami Levi upon the birth of a daughter, Nava Rena. Sofi and Aaron Lunzer upon the birth of a son, William (Moshe Dov). Mazal Tov as well to KJ grandparents Elisa Septee Lunzer and Jay Lunzer. Jacqueline and Jeffrey Marcus upon the birth of twin grandchildren, Jacqueline Lia (Rivka Leah) and Kobi Solomon (Yaacov Shlomo), born to their children, Rachel and Itamar Nissim. Dr. Rachel Best Mishaan and Albert Mishaan upon the birth of a son, Michael Jonah (Michael Yonah). Mazal Tov as well to KJ grandparents Malka Finkelstein and Barry Best. Philip and Yulia Nassimi upon the birth of their first child and son, Alexander Yehoshua. Mazal Tov as well to grandmothers Edna Nassimi and Larisa Rozhko. Sivan and Julian Olidort upon the birth of a daughter, Nina Ana (Penina Ana). Mazal Tov to KJ grandparents Nadia and Jospeh Olidort and to KJ great-grandmother Irina Klionsky. Mazal Tov as well to Sivan’s family in Israel and Australia. Julia Posluns and Max Silverman upon the birth of a son, Adam Wilfred (Adam Ze’ev). Phylise and Richard Sands upon the birth of a grandson born to their children, Lily and Josh Rosalimsky. Mazal Tov as well to KJ great grandmother Anita Sands.

Evelyn and Salomon Sassoon upon the birth of a granddaughter, Eve Rose Levine, born to their children, Lily Sassoon and Daniel Levine.

Carol & Alan Schechter upon the birth of a great-grandson, born to their grandchildren Aliza and Izzy Zellman of Woodmere. Janie & Dr. Robert Schwalbe upon the birth of a second greatgranddaughter, Ariela Eden, born to Sam and Talia Schwalbe and granddaughter to Jeremy and Dasi Schwalbe. Rebecca and Thomas Shemia upon the birth of daughter, Sara. Mazal Tov as well to the proud KJ grandparents Sara and Simon Shemia and great-grandmother Marilyn Meltzer. Ruth and Irwin zl” Shapiro upon the birth of a great granddaughter, Abigail Goldie (Avigail Golda), born to their grandchildren, Deena and Jacob Shapiro. Mazal Tov as well to KJ grandparents Monica and Sandy Shapiro. Adrian and KJ Executive Director Leonard Silverman upon the birth of a granddaughter, Malka Leah, born to their children Judith and Rabbi Gabriel (Ramaz ‘16) Silverman, joining big brother Yehoshua. We remember at this time Gabe’s KJ grandparents, Donna z”l and Arthur z”l Silverman. Teri and (Dr. Massimiliano z"l) Szulc and Vivian and Bernard Falk upon the birth of a grandson, Emmett Josiah (Betzalel Menachem), born to their children, Dr. Alessandra (Ramaz '04) and Colin Falk (Ramaz '95).

May these children grow up in the finest tradition of Torah, chupah, and ma’asim tovim. BNEI MITZVAH Bernice and Gilbert Kahn on the Bar Mitzvah of their grandson Isaac Kahn son of Shayna and Theodore Kahn in Toronto, CA.

Engagements Rosie and Dr. Mark Friedman upon the engagement of their grandson, Yaakov Yitzchak, son of Rivkah and Rav Yosef Y. Friedman of Yerushalayim, to Fraidy Barzesky of Ramat Beit Shemesh Bet. Deena and Adam Shiff upon the engagement of their son, Benjamin, to Allison Barak, daughter of Michelle and Mark Barak of Los Angeles. Mazal Tov as well to KJ grandmother Jane Shiff. Sirena Silber upon the engagement of her son, Jack Silber, to Natalie Trump, daughter of Lizzy and Joshua Trump. Mazal Tov, as well, to grandparents, Lillian and William Silber, Sheira and Steve Schacter, Stephanie and Jules Trump, and great, great aunt and uncle, Audrey and Rabbi Haskel Lookstein.

May their weddings take place in happiness and blessing. MARRIAGES Lauren and Keith Breslauer and Dr. Susan Hirschfeld and Elie Hirschfeld upon the marriage of their children, Sophia Breslauer and Jonathan Hirschfeld. Ariella Lipetz and Michael Chaykin upon their marriage.

Lisa and Nathan Low upon the marriage of their daughter, Anna, to Evan Silbiger, son of Carole and Jeffrey Silbiger of Queens. Ellen and Fred Meyer upon the marriage of their son, Jared Shiff, to Romane Goldmuntz. Mazal Tov to Susan Goldberg Shipper and David Shipper upon the marriage of their granddaughter, Tova Ellenberg, to Ben Rael of Dallas. Adrian and KJ Executive Director Leonard Silverman celebrating the recent marriage of their son, Benjamin (Ramaz ‘20), to Hana Masin Dr. Naama and Rabbi Elie Weinstock upon the marriage in Israel of their daughter, Meira, to Max Serfaty.

May the newlywed couples be blessed to build homes faithful to the traditions of the Jewish people.

Condolences to Amy Aaron upon the passing of her mother, Sydell Aaron. KJ Administrator Riva Alper, upon the passing of her mother, Chani Alper. Nadav Besner upon the passing of his father, Emanuel Besner. Jeffrey Goldfarb upon the passing of his father, Dr. Lawrence Goldfarb. Alex Goldstein upon the passing of his father, Martin Goldstein. Fred Halpern z”l upon the passing of his mother, Gladys Halpern, and Yonina Gomberg, Maeira Werthenschlag, and Alexander Halpern upon the passing of their grandmother. Max Kahn upon the passing of his father, Dr. Charles "Bud" Kahn. Elaine Gottesman Katz upon the passing of her father, Robert Michael Gottesman. Noemi Messing upon the passing of her mother, Esther Soifer. Maureen Cronin Rimon upon the passing of her father, Denis F. Cronin. Harry Rimm upon the passing of his mother, Marilyn O. Rimm. Sandy Srulowitz upon the passing of his brother, Marvin Srulowitz.

in memoriam

Elaine Miriam Katz Our Main Synagogue was packed with tearful worshippers to honor Elly Katz, who succumbed to a very painful and debilitating medical condition at age 31. Amazingly, Elly faced her struggles with heroic determination and brilliance. With the total love and devotion of her parents, Dr. Karin Charnoff-Katz and Joel Katz, and the loving support of her brothers Avery and Jason, and the entire family, she displayed super-human strength and competence in graduating from Harvard with a B.A, Summa Cum Laude, and a plethora of extraordinary accomplishments in literary expression and scientific research, in the lab of a Nobel Prize-winning scientist at Rockefeller, in the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and well beyond. She lived with hope and navigated life’s challenges with grace, creativity and determination. Perhaps her most admirable accomplishment, however, was her resilience, her power of consistently seeking and finding a path to return to normal life in response to many medical setbacks. Hers was a life that ended far too soon. We all mourn her loss, even as we are all grateful for the gift of her noble and unforgettable life.

Dr. Norman Javitt Norman Javitt (Moshe Binyamin ben Chaim Dov Hakohen V'Sarah) was born in Bronx, NY, on March 9, 1928, to parents who immigrated from Ungvar, Hungary. He was the first generation of his family to attend college and earned his B.A. at Syracuse University in 1947, followed by a PhD in Physiology at the University of North Carolina in 1951 and an MD from Duke University in 1954, where he graduated AOA. Dr. Javitt married the love of his life, Suzanne Markovits, in 1955. They joined KJ in 1958 upon their return from his service as Medical Corps Captain in the US Army in Nuremburg, Germany. Both Norman and Suzanne served as trustees of the Congregation and were active and generous members of the community. Dr. Javitt was among the oldest and longest serving Kohanim in the history of KJ, blessing the kahal until he and Suzanne made Aliyah in 2023 and resided in Baka, Jerusalem. All four of their children, Jonathan (Marcia), Daniel (Reba), Joel (Kim), and Gail (Sam) attended Ramaz and the Westchester Day School at various times and all four were married by Rabbi Haskel Lookstein. In addition to being a beloved husband and father, he was a treasured Saba to 23 grandchildren and grandchildren-in law and Saba Raba to a growing number of great-grandchildren. Dr. Javitt was among the top one percent of published scientists. He served on the faculty of NYU as Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and then as Research Director, Division of Hepatic Diseases. Like his namesake, Moshe, he lived a life of great and noble accomplishments, even as he walked humbly with God.

Annie Mae Walton Annie Mae, who would have turned 94 on July 4, nourished generations of KJ-Ramaz families over her nearly 6-decade long career at shul and school. The Guest of Honor at KJ’s 139th Annual Synagogue Meeting in April 2011, Annie Mae was feted for her then 50 years of continuous, unbroken community service. Every kiddush, seudah shlishit and holiday meal held at KJ bore Annie Mae's mark of love and devotion. But she wasn’t finished working! It wasn’t until June 2017 that Annie Mae decided to retire to be with family in North Carolina, and Rabbi Haskel Lookstein formally retired her KJ jersey in front of the entire Congregation on a Shabbat morning to a standing ovation. We remember her fashion flair, sporting a colorful scarf and a hat at a jaunty angle, but most important, we remember how she loved our children, loved being connected to our House of Worship, and loved being part of our communal family. We, in turn, reciprocated that love. May her memory be a blessing.

Shabbat zmanim

Date

Weekly Parasha

Candle Lighting

Friday Mincha

Shabbat Mincha

Shabbat Ends

Sept 4-5 Sept 18-19 Oct 9-10 Oct 16-17 Oct 23-24 Oct 30-31 Nov 6-7 Nov 13-14 Nov 20-21 Nov 27-28 Dec 4-5 Dec 11-12 Dec 18-19 Dec 25-26

Nitzavim / Vayeilech Ha’azinu / Shabbat Shuva Shabbat Mevarchim / Bereshit Noach Lech Lecha Vayera Shabbat Mevarchim / Chayei Sara Toldot Vayetzei Vayishlach Shabbat Mevarchim / Vayeshev Shabbat Chanukah / Miketz Vayigash Vayechi

7:05 PM 6:42 PM 6:07 PM 5:56 PM 5:46PM 5:36 PM 4:28 PM 4:21 PM 4:16 PM 4:12 PM 4:10 PM 4:10 PM 4:10 PM 4:15 PM

6:45 PM 6:45 PM 6:20 PM 6:05 PM 5:55 PM 5:45 PM 4:40 PM 4:30 PM 4:25 PM 4:25 PM 4:20 PM 4:20 PM 4:25 PM 4:25 PM

6:55 PM 6:30 PM 5:55 PM 5:45 PM 5:35 PM 5:25 PM 4:20 PM 4:10 PM 4:05 PM 4:05 PM 4:05 PM 4:05 PM 4:05 PM 4:10 PM

7:59 PM 7:35 PM 7:00 PM 6:50 PM 6:40 PM 6:31 PM 5:24 PM 5:18 PM 5:13 PM 5:10 PM 5:09 PM 5:09 PM 5:11 PM 5:15 PM

evening services

DAtes to remember Thursday & Friday, August 13-14 Rosh Chodesh Elul Morning Services 7:00 AM Motzei Shabbat, September 5 Recitation of Selichot begins Kumzitz 10:30 PM Selichot 10:30 PM Monday, September 7 Labor Day Morning Services 8:30 AM Shabbat & Sunday, Sept 12-13 Rosh Hashanah Monday, September 14 Tzom Gedaliah Morning Services 7:00 AM Monday, September 21 Yom Kippur

Shabbat & Sunday, Sept 26-27 Sukkot

Tuesday, November 10 Kristallnacht Observance

Mon - Thurs, Sept 28 - Oct 1 Chol haMoed Sukkot

Tuesday-Wednesday, Nov 10-11 Rosh Chodesh Kislev Morning Services 7:00 AM

Friday, October 2 Hoshanah Rabbah Morning Services 6:30 AM Shabbat, October 3 Shemini Atzeret Sunday, October 4 Simchat Torah Women’s Tefillah 9:15 AM Sunday - Monday, Oct 11-12 Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan Morning Services 7:00 AM Tuesday, November 3 Election Day

Wednesday, November 11 Veteran’s Day Thurs & Fri, Nov 26-27 Thanksgiving Observed Morning Services 8:30 AM Chanukah Morning Services Sunday, Dec 6, 8:30 AM Monday-Wednesday, Dec 7-9, 7:10 AM Thursday- Friday, December 10-11, 7:00 AM Rosh Chodesh Tevet

Aug 25-Sept 24

6:45 PM

Sept 27 -Oct 1

6:35 PM

Oct 5-9

6:20 PM

Oct 11-15

6:10 PM

Oct 18-22

6:00 PM

Oct 25-29

5:50 PM

Nov 1-5

4:45 PM

Nov 8-12

4:35 PM

Nov 15-19 Nov 22-Dec 24 Dec 27-31

4:30 PM 4:25 PM 4:30 PM