CHANUKAH ISSUE KEHILATH JESHURUN - Amazon S3 · Rebecca Feit & Rami Sasson Drs. Lu Steinberg &...

AM HASEFER BOOK CLUB REVIEWS

“THE U.N. EXPOSED”Sunday, January 28

6:30 PM at KJ

Special Guest SpeakerERIC SHAWN

The Congregation is honored tohost Eric Shawn, a New York basedsenior correspondent for FOX NewsChannel, who will discuss his newbook The U.N. Exposed: How theUnited Nations Sabotages America’sSecurity and Fails the World. Theevent will be moderated by notedpolitical consultant Hank Sheinkopf.

Created after World War I topromote peace and internationalunderstanding, the U.N. has, over theyears, failed to achieve its originalmission. With a rare insight into theUnited Nations, the book focuses onmany disturbing aspects of itsoperations that have been ignored bythe mainstream media.

Mr. Shawn has covered a numberof breaking news stories for FOX. Agraduate of Georgetown Universitywith a degree in Urban Studies, Mr.Shawn also reported the Unabomberarrest, the Persian Gulf War and the1992 Clinton campaign.

The entire congregational communityis encouraged to attend.

Volume LXXVI, Number 2 December 8, 2006 17 Kislev 5767

CHANUKAH ISSUE

KEHILATH JESHURUNBULLETIN

January 12th - Friday Evening Dinnerimmediately following 4:45 PM Shabbat services:

“HUMILITY, SELF-ESTEEM AND FORGIVENESS: JEWISH INSIGHTS INTO BEING A GOOD PERSON”

January 13th - Saturday Morningat the conclusion of

9:00 AM Shabbat services:“TEN OBSTACLES TO CHANGE:

YEAR-ROUND LESSONSFROM THE LAWS OF TESHUVAH”

Our Featured ScholarRABBI JOSEPH TELUSHKIN

KKJJ AANNNNUUAALL DDIINNNNEERRttoo bbeenneeffiitt

CCoonnggrreeggaattiioonn KKeehhiillaatthh JJeesshhuurruunn

Please join us for some WHEEL funat an evening of charityand good cheer.

Morris and Ida NewmanEducational Center

60 East 78th Street, New York City

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, born andraised in New York, is a graduate andordained rabbi of Yeshiva University. Asought-after lecturer, associate ofCLAL, and spiritual leader of the

FRIDAY EVENING SHABBAT DINNERMembers Non-Members

Adults: $35 $40Juniors (ages 12-18): $30 $35Children (ages 2-11): $18 $30

TThhiiss SSaattuurrddaayy NNiigghhtt,, DDeecceemmbbeerr 9988::0000 PPMM

Synagogue for the Performing Arts inLos Angeles, he is an author of manybooks and has written several novels aswell as popular articles and televisionand film scripts.

DINNER CO-CHAIRS

Barbara & Harvey Arfa, Abby & David Doft, Lisa & Mark Todes, Barbara Zimet

WWaallkk--iinn rreeggiissttrraattiioonnwweellccoommee

SAMUEL S. SILVERSTEIN SHABBATON

JANUARY 12-13, 2007

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KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN

Kesher presents...

Uncle MoishyIn Concert!

Date: Sunday, December 10Time: 11:00 am

Location: Heyman Auditorium

For Tickets, Contact 212-987-3306 or [email protected] Upcoming Great Kesher Events:Melavah Malka with Rabbi Avrumi

and his Magical Keyboard - January 20Progressive Dinner - February 10n

MEN’S CLUB FILM SERIES AT KJ

“MOREPRECIOUS

THAN PEARLS”

WITH THE DIRECTOR

NAFTALI ROBERT FRIEDMAN

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH7:00 PM AT KJ

An engaging and compelling exploration of theintellectual and spiritual struggles faced by a survivorof a Nazi concentration camp who immigrated toAmerica after the war. The film explores thechallenges of achieving self-renewal as a human beingand as a committed Jew, without forgetting the vivid,yet incomprehensibly painful, memories of the past.

Everyone in the community is urged to attendthis excellent fim.

KJ SYNAGOGUEMEMBERSHIP:

BE A PART OFTHE JEWISH PEOPLEContact KJ Administrator

Leonard Silvermanat 212-774-5680 or

[email protected]

WELCOMEKehilath Jeshurun warmlywelcomes the following newmembers who have joined theCongregation between the printingof the last Bulletin, August 25, andthis Bulletin, which went to press onNovember 20:

Laurie & Dr. Eli BrykPhyllis & Jack Diamond

Gabriella & Rudolph DresdnerMajorie & Albert Fortinsky

Michelle & Daniel GewanterDrs. Jacqueline Green

& John GrossmanHanan HaliliZeev Hechter

Drs. Aviva Preminger & David Hiltzik

Gladys and Martin KartinJoanne Krupp

Suri and Dr. David LandererDr. Linda Michelson

Anna ProppRebecca Feit & Rami Sasson

Drs. Lu Steinberg & Michael Schulder

Jannine and David Zucker

WINTER YOUTH ACTIVITIESDecember 9 - Open Gym grades 1-4December 10 - Hello YellowDecember 10 - KJBLDecember 15 - Tot Shabbat ProgramDecember 16 - Open Gym Night for Grades 7-12December 17 - KJBLJanuary 6 - Open Gym Night for Grades 5-6January 6 - Family Mishnayot learningwith Rabbi Soloveichik for grades 2-4January 7 - KJBLJanuary 13 - “Girls Only” Open GymJanuary 19 - Tot ShabbatJanuary 20 - Teen Open gymJanuary 21 - KJBLJanuary 27 - Open Gym Night Grades 1-4

January 28 - Hello YellowJanuary 28 - KJBLFebruary 3 - Family Mishnayot learningwith Rabbi Meir Soloveichik for grades 2-4February 3 - Tu B’Shevat SederFebruary 3 - Open Gym Night for Grades 5-6February 4 - KJBLFebruary 4 - Youth DepartmentSuper Bowl PartyFebruary 9-10 - Yachad ShabbatonFebruary 10 - Open Gym Night for Grades 7-12February 11 - KJBLFebruary 23 - Tot ShabbatFebruary 24 - Open Gym Night for Grades 1-4February 25 - KJBL

SUPPER LECTUREON DIVESTMENT

WITHALEX JOFFE

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH

6:30 PM AT KJ

Alexander Joffe is an archaeologistand historian. Educated at CornellUniversity and the University ofArizona, he has taught at Penn StateUniversity and at SUNY Purchaseand has published extensively onNear Eastern archaeology, as well asmodern politics and culture. He iscurrently the Director of Research forthe David Project, a Boston-basedIsrael advocacy magazine, publishedby the Center of Herzliya, Israel.


KJ TO PRESENT BAR MITZVAH PROGRAMFOR FATHERS AND SONS

KJ is happy to offer a newlearning program for fathers and sonsfrom our community reaching barmitzvah age. The KJ Bar Mitzvahprogram is an opportunity to explore,in creative and interactive ways, thechallenges and opportunities ofreaching bar mitzvah.

The Bar Mitzvah Program,developed specifically for KJ,explores the Jewish sources on dailyliving and ritual practice in a waywhich is hands-on, exciting andmeaningful.

Through text study, projects andinteractive learning, each parent/child"chavruta" will connect with theseJewish sources and become partnerson the spiritual journey of what itmeans to be a Jewish adult today.

The Bar Mitzvah program is ledby Rabbi Hillel Rapp, meeting onSundays between 10:30 am and 12:00pm on January 14th and 28th,February 11th and 25th, and March11th. To register or inquire, pleasecontact Hillel Rapp at [email protected] 212-774-5652.

NATHAN AND VIVIAN FINKMEMORIAL LECTURE

RAV HERSHELSCHACHTER

"INSIGHTS INTO THE LAWS OF

SHABBAT II"Wednesday, January 10

8:00 PMRav Hershel Schachteris one of the foremosthalakhic decisors of theModern Orthodoxcommunity. His annualmini-course at KJ is avaluable resource andwe are honored to hosthim in our community.

NEXT LECTURE: MARCH 7

Under a change in the law made bythe Pension Protection Act of 2006, IRAowners who are at least age 70½ arenow, for the first time, allowed to makecharitable contributions (of up to$100,000 per year) directly from theirIRAs to qualified charities such as KJ.

If you qualify and wish to takeadvantage of this charitable giftingopportunity, the distribution must bemade directly from your IRA custodianto your chosen charity. The amountgifted to charity will not be included inyour gross income; consequently, youwill not be entitled to a charitableincome tax deduction. However,because the amount distributed from theIRA is not included in your income, fortax purposes, it is as if the amount wereincluded in your income and then youreceived an offsetting, dollar for dollar,charitable contribution income taxdeduction. For high income taxpayers,this treatment may be superior thantaking a taxable distribution from yourIRA and giving the distributed amountto charity, because of the limitations onitemized deductions applicable tocertain high income taxpayers.Alternatively, for taxpayers who utilizethe standard deduction, the directcontribution may also be superior thanreceiving a taxable IRA distribution and

giving the distributed amount to charitybecause with the standard deduction youdo not get a deduction for your gifts tocharity.

Qualified charities eligible fordirect IRA contributions includesynagogues, such as KJ, and publiclysupported charities, but not privatefoundations or donor advised funds.The favorable tax treatment given toIRA direct charitable gifts applies onlyto outright charitable gifts and not toamounts used to fund a charitable leador remainder trust. The amount of thedirect charitable gift can also be used tosatisfy your minimum distributionrequirements for the year of the gift.

Under the Pension Protection Act,direct charitable gifts are allowed onlyin 2006 and 2007. Thus, if you are atleast 70½ in 2006 or will be 70½ in2007, you may wish to consider takingadvantage of a tax free gift from yourIRA to KJ this year or next year. Pleasecheck with your individual tax advisorto determine whether this is appropriatefor you. If you or your advisor have anyquestions, please contact KJAdministrator Leonard Silverman at212-774-5680 or [email protected] or the KJPlanned Giving Committee ChairpersonLee Snow at 212-683-3636 [email protected]

DIRECT CONTRIBUTIONS FROM IRATO CHARITY NOW ALLOWED

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Chanukah celebrates the miracles ofthe spiritual and military victories of theMaccabees against the Hellenist tyrantsthat imposed anti-religious rule anddesecrated the Holy Temple in 165 BCE.The 25th of Kislev was the day theMaccabees entered the Temple followingthe battle and wanted to restart the HolyService that had ceased under the foreignrule. The Maccabees found only one day’ssupply of oil that they could use torededicate the Menorah. Yet that tiny flasklasted until they were able to create new,pure oil – a delay of eight days.

The victory established Jewishreligious and political sovereignty in Israelduring the second Temple times. Thismiracle of Jewish independence had notbeen seen since the destruction of the FirstTemple and the assassination of the thengovernor, Gedalyah.

Primarily, we celebrate Chanukah withspiritual expressions: (1) lighting candlesin commemoration of the miracle of therededication of the Temple, (2) singingHallel in praise of God’s deliverance fromour enemies, and (3) adding Al Ha-Nisimin our prayers of thanksgiving inrecognition of both aspects of the miracleof Chanukah. We also have physicalpleasures and celebrations by having (4)special foods, (5) gift giving, and even (6)parties.

The CandlesThe prevailing custom is for each

member of the family to light his or herown menorah which will have as manycandles as that night of the holiday plus theshamash. Since the Chanukah candles areto commemorate the Menorah of the

Temple, we apply the same rules to both:the candles and their flames become holyand as such cannot be used for any otherpurpose. With the exception of theShamash, we cannot read by their lights oruse them to light another candle.

Time for LightingCandles must be lit after nightfall

(about 40 minutes after sunset) and last forat least a half-hour. On Friday afternoon,Chanukah candles should be lit beforeShabbat candles, and should be of a typethat will last over an hour (this leads tomany adopting the custom of using olive-oil based lamps). On Saturday night, thecandles are lit after Havdalah.

Candle ArrangementThe candles are set from the right side

of the Menorah as the candle lighter facesit. The Menorah should be placed in anarea where it will not need to be movedafter being lit. Safety is also a majorconcern, so please do not leave the homewith the candles unattended.

Lighting the CandlesThe lights are lit from left to right –

starting with the newest candle first. Webegin by lighting the shamash, then wesay the blessings: (1) ner shel Chanukah,(2) she-asa nisim, and on the first night weadd (3) shehecheyanu. Once the blessingsare said, we light the first candle and beginsinging the songs “Hanerot Hallalu” –which explains the reasons for theceremony – and “Maoz Tzur” whichdescribes all the salvations wrought byGod for the Jewish People.

Publicizing the MiracleWe light the Menorah so we can

publicize the miracle to as many people as

possible. We start with our own family butwe often place the Menorah in the windowto proclaim our belief to others.

Moreover, we publicize the miracle bysinging the complete Hallel in themorning service and by adding Al Ha-Nisim in our daily Shemona Esrei and inBirkat ha-Mazon.

Material PleasuresIn addition to the spiritual nature of the

holiday, we have added, in later times, thephysical pleasures of special foods (latkes,jelly donuts), gift-giving (never a badidea, especially Jewish books), and parties(that serve as a means for fellowship andfor publicizing the miracle).

Chanukah is a time when we shouldrenew our commitment and devotion toGod. The brave Maccabees who riskedtheir lives for religious freedom shouldserve as a model for us to celebrate thosefreedoms and our joy in service to God.

CHANUKAH BEGINS FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 15

The Gift of Candles Through the courtesy of the

Kehilath Jeshurun Benevolent Fund,Chanukah candles have been sent toevery recipient of the KJ Bulletin.

The proceeds of the Fund are usedfor deserving individuals who might nototherwise come to the attention ofpublic charity.

Those who receive candles areurged to contribute to the KJBenevolent Fund by sending a check tothe synagogue office.

May you and your family have aHappy Chanukah!

HOLIDAY WORKSHOPSwith Rabbi Elie Weinstock

CHANUKAHTuesday, December 12 at 8:00 PM

PURIMTuesday, February 27 at 8:00 PM

* * * *KJ Beginners

CHANUKAH BASH!Wednesday, December 20th at 8:00 PM


UJA at KJ is an exciting newpartnership between the KJ Communityand UJA-Federation of New York. Thispartnership offers KJ members uniqueopportunities to connect with the Jewishcommunity on a personal as well ascommunal level.

Here are some of the manyopportunities this partnership offers to ourcommunity:

Give a Mitzvah, Do A MitzvahFor children approaching bar or bat

mitzvah, UJA provides a "MitzvahPlanner:" an expert in the field of mitzvot!Together, they match your child's passionwith a project to benefit the needy. Eachchild's project will become a communityeffort as we help the child reach their goal.This year, participants include: RebeccaEmmerich, Rachel Huebner, Elly Katz andRisa Schwartz.

Chesed OpportunitiesThroughout the year, UJA at KJ will

be offering many opportunities to engageyour family in Chesed. Bring yourchildren, and together you can make adifference in someone's life.

Our first program was held onDecember 3rd when we metrepresentatives from Selfhelp, a UJA-Federation agency which assists Holocaustsurvivors. Together, we made heart-shaped pillows for hospitalized childrenand ended the afternoon with a Hanukahcelebration.

Guest Speakers and LecturesUJA offers lectures on many topics of

interest to the Jewish community. Whetherit is a current analysis of the situation inIsrael, caring for aging parents, orproviding expert advice on child rearing,UJA's experts provide the information youneed.

Resource InformationUJA at KJ will liaise between you and

UJA to get information you need to makeimportant decisions: Are you looking for afacility in Florida providing supportservices to spouses of Alzheimer patients?Are you interested in finding out aboutagencies fighting hunger in New York tomake a donation? Are you planning a tripto Israel and want to organize a mitzvahproject? UJA provides valuable

information to help you make informeddecisions.

Customized OpportunitiesUJA at KJ can arrange a special

chesed opportunity for you and yourfamily or friends. For instance, if a smallgroup of participants would like to learnmore about hunger in New York, UJA atKJ can arrange a visit to a soup kitchenwhere you can participate in feeding thehungry.

Upcoming EventsJanuary 20 - UJA-Federation speaker atYoung People's Minyan.Give a Mitzvah, Do a Mitzvah with KJmember Rachel Huebner, who will bedonating a portion of her bat mitzvah giftsand organizing an activity to raise funds tobuild a new playground in Kiryat Shmona.The project holds particular significance asthe playground will be named in memoryof her 26 - year - old cousin who was killedin Lebanon in August.February 25 - Mitzvah Sunday: Foodpackaging event and Pre-Purim party at KJfor the kids of The Jewish CommunityCouncil of Canarsie, servingdisadvantaged Orthodox youth ofBrooklyn.March 18 - KJ Sisterhood Family MitzvahDay*, featuring many UJA-fundedagencies.April - KJ Pesach Mission to Israel withUJA site visit.May - UJA BBQ and briefing at a privatehome.June - Give a Mitzvah, Do a Mitzvah withKJ Member Risa Schwartz, who, as part ofher bat mitzvah celebration, will channelher interest in fashion towards a projectwith the Machson Mobile from MetCouncil. In addition, she wants to helpless fortunate children affiliated with theJewish Community Council of Canarsiewith their bar and bat mitzvah celebrations.

* Not Confirmed

For more information on UJA at KJ or tobecome involved, please contact Elisa

Bryskin Gage at [email protected] Stacy Scheinberg at [email protected]

“ACT WHILE YOU CAN: WHILE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE, THE MEANS, AND THE STRENGTH” TALMUD SHABBAT 151B

Upcoming SisterhoodEvents

MUSEUM EVENTCynthia Nachmani at the

Guggenheim MuseumTuesday, January 23

Brunch at 11:00 am at thehome of Randy Krevat

followed bytour 12:30 pm-2:00 pm

ISRAEL CONCERTIsrael Philharmonic with Zubin Mehta conducting.

Tuesday, January 308:00 pm at Carnegie Hall

EVENING COOKING CLASS“Desserts Extraordinare”

TBA

Alexis Levitt Berkowitz,CSW, is a member of ourprofessional staff available toprovide myriad social servicesthanks to our partnership withthe Jewish Connections Division of the Jewish Board of Familyand Children’s Services. Alexisis in the KJ office on Tuesdaysduring business hours and willprovide personal consultations,life cycle education, assistance,information and/or referrals tohuman services. Alexis isreachable at (212) 774-5620 [email protected]


Thursday, Elul 7, 5766 - August 31,2006, marked the 70th yahrzeit of mygreat-grandfather, Rabbi Moses ZevulunMargolies, known as the RaMaZ. Noone in our congregation remembers himexcept, perhaps, for my aunt, HildaFischman. But many of us remembermy father, Rabbi Joseph H. Lookstein, ofblessed memory, whose life was greatlyinfluenced by the man he described as"A Rabbi of the Old School" in a chapterfrom his unpublished autobiographyentitled "God Owes Me Nothing."

My father's reputation was that of abuilder of institutions, a broadlyinvolved Jew in every facet ofJewish life, and a person whowas loved and admired by thebroadest spectrum of Jews.What is not generally known isthat my father came from arather narrow background.Born in Russia in 1902, heemigrated to America in 1909,lived on the Lower East Sideand in East New York, attendedthe Rabbi Jacob Joseph School,studied for the rabbinate in theRabbi Isaac ElchananTheological Seminary (whichbecame Yeshiva University),and only thereafter received his B.A.from City College and an M.A. insociology from Columbia University.

My father was a firebrand and areligious activist. He told me how heused to picket the kosher butchers on theLower East Side because their standardswere inadequate. I'm not sure whether itwas kashrut or ethical standards towhich he was referring. My father wasan Agudanik, an anti-Zionist. As ayoung man, he had none of the breadththat he later developed as an assistant tothe man who became his grandfather(my mother was Rabbi Margolies'granddaughter), and from his associationwith him from 1923 until 1936. A yearafter Rabbi Margolies' passing, my

father founded Ramaz School andnamed it for his grandfather. But it wasmuch more than a name; it was and is,like Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, anextension of the life and the spirit of this"Rabbi of the Old School."

Rabbi Margolies was born in 1851in Lithuania. On his father's side, he wasa descendent of Rashi; on his mother'sside, he was a grandson of the brother-in-law of the Gaon of Vilna. His life asa talmid chacham more than justified hisextraordinary lineage.

And what a talmid chacham he was.He virtually knew the Talmud by heart,rising every day before 5:00 in the

morning and turning immediately to theGemorah, which was his constantcompanion. He could pore over it forhours at a stretch unless communalduties demanded his attention. He madea siyum on the completion of the entireTalmud every year on the yahrzeit of hismother. In other words, he was learningmore than seven pages a day!

He was an expert in p'sak - theliterature of Responsa and Codes. Itenabled him to decide questions ofJewish law for the many rabbis andlaymen who turned to him for hisexpertise. His library was voluminous,and he not only knew where every seferwas; he knew precisely on what page theissue which concerned him could be

found.But he was not an ivory tower

talmid chacham. His Torah was a ToratChesed - a Torah of love, ofinvolvement, of making people's livesmore liveable and more meaningful.There were at least three ways in whichhis Torat Chesed was manifested:

1. He was a caring decisor ofJewish law. In 1889, at the age of 38, hecame to Boston and presided there asChief Rabbi. He established a city-wideChevra Shas. He also supervised thekosher meat industry in Boston. It wasnot a happy time for him. The

slaughterhouses and the butchershops which he had to supervisewere in the hands of unsavorycharacters who caused himhardship and anguish. But hewas determined to providekosher meat for the community. In 1906, he was called to therabbinate at KJ. Here, heundertook the responsibility ofsupervising the kashrut for theBorden's Company. Inparticular, he arranged forkosher milk and dairy productsfor Pesach. At the time, this wasquite revolutionary. Observant

Jews generally ate only pareve orfleishig on Passover because there wereno Kosher for Passover dairy productsavailable. Rabbi Margolies wasdetermined to change that.

Before Passover, he would go withmy father on long trips far into theCatskills - before there was a new Route17 - to inspect milking barns, depots andeven farm houses to make sure that hisinstructions and regulations wereobserved. There was a theory behind allof this which he enunciated as follows:"The more kosher products that can beprovided, the more kashrut will beobserved."

My father described a personalencounter which illustrates the caring

THE RAMAZ ON HIS 70TH YAHRZEITA SERMON OF TRIBUTE BY HIS GREAT-GRANDSON

RABBI HASKEL LOOKSTEIN

Rabbi Haskel Lookstein’s Great Grandfather, the RaMaZ


quality of the halakhic decisions of mygreat-grandfather: A woman came to hishome on Friday afternoon with a chickenthat had a hole in its stomach. Shewanted to know if it was kosher or not.Rabbi Margolies, together with myfather, examined the chicken and thenthe RaMaZ called my father into hislibrary and asked him: "What do youthink, mein kind?" My father answeredthat it was an open and shut case. Thechicken obviously swallowed a needlewhich punctured its stomach and thiswas one of the 18 primary examples oftarfus, thereby rendering the chickenunusable. The RaMaZ cautioned himnot to be so hasty. He went over to thebookshelf and took out a sefer andshowed him that in precisely such a casea particular Acharon (a post 16th centurydecisor of Jewish law) permitted eatingthe chicken. He then took out anothersefer in which a similar decision wasmade by another Acharon. Thereupon,he said to my father: "Mein kind: This isa poor woman. If we declare her chickento be treif she will have nothing to eat forShabbos. Let's rely on these twoAcharonim and you take a littleresponsibility on your shoulders and I'lltake some on my shoulders and let thiswoman have a good Shabbos."

2. His Torat Chesed wasdemonstrated not alone by his care forpeople but also by his natural tendencytoward leniency in deciding questions ofJewish law. He embodied in hispersonality the Talmudic principle thatkoach d'heteira adif, (the power topermit is preferable to the power toprohibit). In an era like ours, where somany Orthodox Jews seem to belong tothe "Chumrah of the Month Club," thisdisposition toward leniency is almostsuspect; but it was not so for RabbiMargolies. He believed that it was theresponsibility of a posek to makeJudaism liveable for people and notdifficult for them. He was once asked bya rabbi who posed a religious question tohim: "How come that whatever you say,people follow?" He responded: "That isnot correct, it's not that whatever I saypeople follow; what people will follow, I

say." This could, of course, be the policyof a charlatan. Needless to say, in thecase of the RaMaZ it wasn't that at all.He knew Jewish law comprehensively,and because he knew it he took intoconsideration people's ability to liveaccording to Jewish law and that formedpart of his personality as a posek. In thatsense, it reminds me of what the Rav, ofblessed memory, told us when we werestudying Yoreh De'ah with him. He saidthat it was not our job to declare thingstreif and to tell people to throw outquestionable dishes. He said it was ourjob to know the principles of kashrus sowell that we could combine views andapproaches and, wherever possible,declare things permissible rather thanprohibited. Torah giants of the oldschool - and some of the new school -live by the principle of koach d'heteiraadif.

An example of this was the wayRabbi Margolies used the elevator onShabbat when it was operated by a non-Jew. He lived on the second floor and inhis later years, when it was difficult forhim to climb the stairs, he went into theelevator and a non-Jew operated theelevator for him. My father describes hisfather when he came for a visit to thiscommunity and saw Rabbi Margoliesenter the elevator on Shabbat and hefollowed him into the elevator with hisknees shaking because it was the firsttime he had ever been in an elevator onShabbat. Rabbi Margolies' views wereechoed by Rabbi Soloveitchik in apersonal conversation with me in theearly l980's, when he reiterated what Ihad heard him say in a shiur more than20 years before that. He said that usingan elevator on Shabbat when operated bya non-Jew is permissible under twocircumstances: (1) where it is notreasonable to do otherwise (e.g., whenone is going above the 5th floor); and (2)where one is going to perform one of themitzvot of Shabbat (e.g., eating one ofthe Shabbat meals, visiting the sick,learning Torah, or another kind ofShabbat activity). This thought, sonatural to Rabbi Margolies and RabbiSoloveitchik, appears so frightening

today in some quarters that when Isubmitted to the OU's publication JewishAction a tribute to the Rav on the 10thanniversary of his passing, the tribute(which included the elevator p'sak) wasaccepted on condition that I remove anyhalakhic references from the article. Theeditor said that the editorial board did notwant to get into any conflicts overhalakhic material. How times havechanged!

3. My great-grandfather's ToratChesed was most evident in his broadcommunal involvement and in his beingaccepted almost universally by all Jews.He was a founder of the Central ReliefCommittee, the forerunner of the JDC.In the boardroom of the JDC today thereis a famous photograph of its foundingboard members. Rabbi Margolies isprominently shown, with his longflowing white beard, just off-center atthe head of the table. He was a leader ofMizrachi, obviously influencing myfather to move away from his Agudahroots. He was the President of the RabbiIsaac Elchanan Theological Seminary aswell as one of the signatories on thesemicha parchments. He was very muchinvolved in the early years of the Unionof Orthodox Jewish Congregations,urging Orthodox rabbis to becomesupportive of it.

He was persona grata in thecommunity and not afraid to mingle withJews who were not observant. Forexample, he officiated at weddingceremonies with Dr. Nathan Krass ofTemple Emanuel, and Dr. SamuelSchulman of Temple Beth E-l. Myfather attended with the RaMaZ thefuneral service for Louis Marshall heldat Temple Emanuel. He sat there withhis high yarmulka adorning his whitehead, unconcerned with what hiscolleagues might say.

It was that same Louis Marshallwho, together with Judge Otto A.Rosalsky, approached Rabbi Margoliesto ask him to intercede with Adolph S.Ochs, the publisher of The New YorkTimes. It seems that a series of articles

~ continued on page 8 ~


THE RAMAZ ON HIS 70TH YAHRZEIT-continued from page 7-

appeared in that newspaper unfavorable to the Jewish community (so, what elseis new?). It was felt that the prestige ofRabbi Margolies might bring some sortof retraction of those articles. My great-grandfather, who had a wonderful senseof humor, reacted very quickly:"Gentlemen," he said, "let me quoteIsaiah: 'The ox (Ochs) knows itspurchaser.'"

On another occasion, Meir Weisgal,the famous impresario, scheduled aZionist pageant at the Polo Grounds(home of the then New York Giants, ofblessed memory) on a Saturday night inlate August which happened to be thenight of the first Selichot. Theperformance was to start at 8:00 in theevening which, at that season of theyear, would involve violating theSabbath. Weisgal came to see RabbiMargolies to ask my great-grandfatherto grant permission, as it were, for the"slight" Sabbath violation involved. Byway of inducement, Weisgal proposedthat after the performance, which wouldend at midnight, the entire audience of60,000 would recite Selichot led by achorus of cantors. Rabbi Margoliesreacted immediately. "If you would askme to absolve 60,000 Jews from sayingSelichot, I could do that easily. Butviolating the Sabbath is a different

matter entirely."Weisgal continued to plead. "We

consulted the great rabbis of New York.All of them advised us to speak to you.We now come to you as the court of lastresort." "Mr. Weisgal," the RaMaZresponded with a characteristic twinklein his eye, "The rabbis misdirected you.You came to the wrong Moses. I wouldhave to refer you to Moses our LawGiver. He was the one who gave us theSabbath."

His last days on earth in August of1936 were somewhat reminiscent of thetales about the tzadikim of old. TheRaMaZ used to spend his summers inBelmar, N.J. at the Carlton Hotel. Dayafter day he sat in his appointed chair ina corner of a porch, deeply engrossed instudy. On the Thursday prior to theweek of his passing he was at theGemorah, as usual. When he finishedhis learning, he closed the Gemorah andkissed it. It was a kiss of farewell. Henever returned to it.

On Shabbat he was wheeled into thehotel synagogue. He was accustomed toreceiving Shelishi - the prestigious thirdaliyah - at the Torah every Shabbat inthat hotel. The owner of the hotel,Morris Goldstein, noticed that the Rabbilooked unusually weak that morning.Solicitously, he asked: "Rabbi would

you want your regular aliyah thismorning?" The Rabbi answered softly:"No, today please give me Acharon (thelast aliyah)." The Monday following, hepassed away.

There was a woman in our shul bythe name of Mrs. Harry Freundlich.Some 20 years ago, when I waspreparing to lead a special service on the50th yahrzeit of the RaMaZ, she told methat she remembered coming to shul onKol Nidre night at the age of four orfive. She recalled gazing at my great-grandfather, robed in his white kittel,with a high white yarmulka on his headand with his flowing beard adorning hisface. She remembers pointing him outto her mother and saying: "Is that Godthere?"

No, Mrs. Freundlich, it wasn't God.It was "a Rabbi of the Old School" whohad a powerful impact on a rabbi of thenew school, on the congregation that heled, on the school that bears his name,and on me as well. His life of Torah,chesed and communal involvement arethe pillars on which our communityrests today. May we all prove worthy ofhis heritage: learning Torah, loving allJews, and committing ourselves to thewell-being of klal Yisrael.

History at Home withRabbi David Flatto

Call KJ for Locations

ISRAEL AFTER THE MUSLIMCONQUEST AND UNTIL THE

FIRST CRUSADESJanuary 13 at 8:30 pm

SACRED SAFED IN THE 16THCENTURY: THE SEMICHA

CONTROVERSYFebruary 10 at 8:30 pm

KESHERYOUNG PEOPLE’S MINYANFalk Auditorium - 9:15 AMDecember 16, January 20

February 10

HASHKAMA MINYANMax. J. Etra Chapel - 7:15 AMDecember 16, January 6 & 20

February 3 & 24

WOMEN’S TEFILAH GROUPMax J. Etra Chapel - 9:15 AM

Jan. 13 & 27, Feb. 3

TOT SHABBATThird Floor Dining Hall

Dec. 15, Jan. 19, Feb. 23

SHABBAT AT KJ

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TRAVEL WITH KJ/RAMAZ TO WASHINGTON, D.C.FOR THE ANNUAL AIPAC POLICY CONFERENCE

MARCH 11-13, 2007

Join Rabbis Elie Weinstock & Hillel Rapp at AIPAC’sAnnual Policy Conference, a blockbuster event thatattracts more than 5,000 pro-Israel activists from all 50states. KJ members will participate in three jam-packeddays of programming, featuring addresses by America’sand Israel’s top leaders, scores of workshops led by seniorexperts in their fields, and the chance to lobby members ofCongress about the importance of the U.S.-Israelrelationship

Fellow congregant and AIPAC member RichardLinhart called the conference “extremely moving. It wasone of the most important things I did last year and I look

forward to bringing more family and friends with me againthis March.”

Specialized programming for high school and collegecampus activists is also offered, along with more than 100hours of workshops and learning labs that give participantsaccess to the most highly acclaimed experts and scholarsin the world.

To learn more, or to register for this year’s AIPACPolicy Conference, visit www.aipac.org or contact JayHaberman, AIPAC’s Manhattan Director at 212-750-4110or [email protected] Help make KJ’s delegation thelargest of any synagogue in New York!

KJ BEGINNERS PRESENTS

FRIDAY NIGHT LIVERAV BINNY FREEDMANDIRECTOR OF ISRALIGHT

SHABBAT, JANUARY 19 - 20Friday Night Carlebach Services followed by dinner at 6:00 pmKiddush Conversation on Shabbat morning following services

Shabbat afternoon shiur at 3:35 pmfollowed by lively and warm Seudah Shlishit

JEWISH LEARNING INSTITUTE AT KJWith Rabbi Elie Weinstock

“The Kabbalah Of Character”Using the template of the Kabbalists, this course

will provide tools for powering your personality formaximum performance and efficiency. You'll learnhow to restore balance and meaning in your life bytending to personal ethical development, because lifeis a journey, not a race

$79 per class; $135 per couple.

Try the first class for free!No one is turned away for lack of funds

Mondays at 7:30 PM January 22-March 12JLI is a creative presentation of traditional Judaismin a highly professional, innovative, academically

rigorous yet accessible format.

WINTER LEARNING AT KJ

Crash Course in Basic Judaismwith Rabbi Elie Weinstock

Beginning January 2nd at 7:00 pm

Kosher for the Curiouswith Rabbi Elie Weinstock

Beginning January 2nd at 8:00 pm

Hebrew Reading Crash Coursewith Shilo Kramer

Beginning January 3rd at 6:30 pm

Prayer Book Hebrewwith David Green

Beginning January 3rd at 7:00 pm

Thursday Night Learningwith Rabbi Weiser

Beginning January 4th at 7:00 pm

Foundations in Hebrewwith Sara Rosen

Beginning January 10th at 6:30 pm

For dates, times, and locations, or to find outabout other learning opportunities at KJ, call

212-774-5678

Are you religious? Are you a shomermitzvot? Do you observe theCommandments?

If you wanted to answer thosequestions affirmatively and back it up withproof, what proofs would you offer?

What would your religious indexconsist of: Shabbat? Kashrut? RoshHashanah? Yom Kippur? Pesach? Tefila?Taharat HaMishpacha?

Do you know how I know thestandards you would choose by which tomeasure your own religiosity? Becausethose are my automatic measuring rods,too. When I have a premarital conferencewith a couple and we discuss thequalifications for witnesses on the ketubaand under the chupah, one of therequirements is that they be shomreimitzvot. When I am asked what does thatentail, I answer: He has to be a shomerShabbat, keep kosher, and daven withtefillin.

Why do I answer this way? Why don'tI say - "Shomer mitzvot? He must behonest, generous, kind, visits the sick,helps at a funeral or a shiva?"

The Chafetz Chaim had these precisereligious criteria in mind when evaluatingwitnesses. That's why he disqualified alloffice workers from being witnesses on thegrounds of dishonesty and thievery,because almost every office worker isguilty of such misdeeds. He/she uses thephone for personal calls; he/she uses paper,erasers, clips, or stamps for personalpurposes. This, said the Chafetz Chaim, isthievery - unintended perhaps, notmalicious, maybe even unaware - butnonetheless using the boss' materialswithout permission is a sin. Such a personis not a shomer mitzvot. Where theChafetz Chaim found kosher witnesses fora wedding is quite another matter, butunquestionably he lived by a principle thatwe have forgotten: The ethical is thefoundation of religion. To be religiousmeans to be, first and foremost, honest,fair, kind, generous and, yes, shomerShabbat, keep kosher, and observe RoshHashanah. But first be a mensch - andonly then be a tzaddik!

Sounds familiar? Well, if you were in

this synagogue 26 years ago on RoshHashanah, you heard perhaps the mostimportant sermon I have ever given. It wastitled: "Menschliness Before Godliness."It underlies a lot of what we all have donein the last two-and-a-half decades in KJand in Ramaz. For example: Everymorning the Headmaster of the RamazLower School starts the day with anannouncement over the intercomreminding the students to observe the 3-Rs- Respect, Responsibility, and Kindness.(The fact that kindness begins with a "K"and not an "R" is a trick to get the kids toremember it.)

But on this Rosh Hashanah, as webegin a process of cheshbon ha-nefesh -spiritual stocktaking - I confess to you andto myself that I need to hear this messageabout menschliness again. I have,unconsciously, forgotten it. Proof: mystandards for kosher witnesses at awedding. Another proof: I sat this week tobegin studying with a candidate forconversion. What do you think I startedwith? Rosh Hashanah! And this week wewill study Yom Kippur. And then Sukkotand Shabbat and kashrut. Why am Imisleading her? More important: Why amI misleading myself? Are these the firstconcerns of Judaism? What happened tomenschlichkeit?

So, excuse me if I review thisprinciple again. I need it. Maybe, youneed it too. Maybe, even if you were here26 years ago you needed it right after thesermon, because many people came overto me after that sermon, gave me a yasherkoach, and said: “Boy O' Boy, Rabbi, youreally gave it to THEM!!”

To THEM? I was talking to myselfand to all of us - not to any anonymous,one-sided, frum Jew out there. I wasn'ttalking to an allegedly kosher butcher inMonsey I need to internalize this messageand to state again its relevance for us all.

I was reawakened to this theme by myfriend and colleague, Rabbi JosephTelushkin who will be our Shabbat Scholaron January 12th and 13th and who has justpublished the first volume of a projectedthree-volume work entitled: A Code ofJewish Ethics. (Everyone here should go

out after Rosh Hashanah and buy thebook.) He reminds us that when the FirstCentury Sage, Hillel, was asked by a non-Jew to convert him while he stood on onefoot, he didn't give him a list of the TenCommandments or recite the Sh'ma; hesaid to him:

That which is hateful to you, don't doto another.

This is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary. - Go and learn - and he converted him

on the spot (Tractate Shabbat, 31a).From this exchange we learn several

things:First: The basis of Judaism is a

supreme ethical principle.Second: The rest is commentary -

how the ethics work; what ethical rules tellus to do and not to do; how does our ritualaction make us a more ethical, decent,humane, thoughtful, kind person, i.e., amensch?

Third: The obligation to continue tostudy in order to become a more fullyreligious person.

As Rabbi Telushkin points out, Hillel'sview was not idiosyncratic. It ismainstream Judaism. A century later,Rabbi Akiba, the gadol of his age - as wasHillel in his - said essentially the samething -

Love thy neighbor as thyself; - This is the major principle in the

Torah. (Jerusalem Talmud, Nedarim 9:4).They both were affirming that

Judaism is first and foremost about being amensch - and then growing into a tzaddik.

Our sages tell us: Derekh Eretz precedes Torah (Vayika

Rabbah, 9:13). As Rav Kook, zl, pointedout, if the order is reversed, if Torahprecedes derekh eretz - if one becomes atzaddik without a foundation ofmenschlichkeit - one's Torah may comeout "farkrumpt" - crooked. Example: Cainand Abel were sibling rivals for a longtime, but it was only after they became"religious" and brought sacrifices that onekilled the other. Cain's Torah, as it were,was not founded on derekh eretz.

This principle, which we - myselfincluded - forget so often, actually explains

MENSCHLINESS BEFORE GODLINESS IIROSH HASHANAH 2006

A Sermon Delivered by Rabbi Haskel Lookstein


many Biblical passages.Look at the Ten Commandments.

There is no mention of sacrifices,circumcision, Passover or Yom Kippur.The bulk of the Commandments are ethicalin nature, prompting Rabbi Shubert Spero,Professor of Philosophy at Bar IlanUniversity to conclude: "The testimony ofthe Decalogue seems overwhelming:Moral rules regulating relations betweenhuman beings are primary. Morality is theessence of Judaism." (Quoted in Telushkin,p. 13 and footnoted on p. 524).

This also explains why the Prophetsoverwhelmingly charge the Jewish peopleto be ethical, and they criticize them, notfor chillul Shabbat or Yom Tov or kashrut,but for oppressing the poor, cheating inbusiness, lying and not living just andethical lives.

No one said it more clearly thanJeremiah when he proclaimed: Let not thewise man glory in his wisdom, nor themighty man in his might, nor the wealthyin his riches. Rather, if one wants to gloryin something let him glory in hisunderstanding Me (God). For I am Godwho exercises kindness, justice andrighteousness. For in these things Idelight, says God (Jeremiah, 9:22-23).

Do you want to know how to applythis in our own lives? The next time wewant to praise our children orgrandchildren - whether to them or aboutthem to others - try not to stress theirintellectual achievements, their academichonors, their technological smarts, theirfinancial success, their athletic prowess oreven their beauty or handsomeness - allimportant, but secondary. Rather, praisethem for their acts of chesed, theirintegrity, their respect for others, theirfineness as human beings. Let them knowthat these ethical qualities come first in ourminds and all the other importantachievements or virtues come second.

A Middle School teacher tells me thatwhen parents come in for a first parent-teacher conference, they invariably ask:"How's my child doing?" They mean: A, Bor C. Is he/she doing work Is he/she at thetop of the class or the middle or thebottom? What they should really be askinga sensitive teacher is: "What kind of childam I raising?" Is he/she kind, thoughtful,polite, respectful, caring? Such questionswould make Jeremiah proud - and God,pleased: “For in these things I delight, says

God.” And this explains a famous- andvery unusual - passage from the Rambam'sCode, cited most appropriately by RabbiTelushkin:

We must be very careful about themitzvah of tzedaka, more so than aboutany other positive command in the Torah.Because, tzedaka is a sign of righteousnessand a sign that one is descended from ourfather, Abraham, of whom it is said “For Ilove him because he taught hisdescendants to do tzedaka (and justice).”

This explains why Avraham, and noone else, was chosen by God. The S'fasEmes asks: "Why wasn't anyone elsechosen?" God, says the S'fas Emes hadbeen calling to man since creation to livekindly and justly. Why wasn't someoneelse chosen before Abraham was evenborn? And he answered: Because no onelistened until Avraham. That's whyAvraham was chosen. He was the first tolisten to the primary message of God, tolive a life of justice and righteousness.

Are we listening today - you and I - toGod's call, saying

“For this is my desire” - Be a menschand then go on to be a tzaddik. We mustjudge ourselves that way. We mustencourage and praise our children thatway. We must think of others that way. Wemust live our lives that way.

Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, the greatJewish, ethical tzaddik of the 19th Centuryonce said: A sermon is worthwhile if itgets even one person to daven Ma'ariv withmore kavannah - even if that person is thespeaker himself. Dare I paraphrase RebYisrael and say: Today's sermon isworthwhile if it gets even one person to bemore focused on being a mensch - even ifthat person is - I!

ANNUALBNEI AKIVASHABBATON

FEBRUARY 2, 2007

Experience the vitality, ruach andtogetherness of Bnei Akiva in aShabbaton filled with singing, greatfood, learning and special activitiesbrought to you by the world's largestReligious Zionist youth movement

FEATURING:Friday Night Dinner

at 6:00 PMOneg at 8:00 PM

All following 5:10 PM servicesat KJ

Dinner is $20 per adult/ $10 per childRegistration deadline: January 30thFor more information, contact Bnei

Akiva Shlichot Yael and Chagitat 646-415-9003 or [email protected]

8TH ANNUAL VOLUNTEERRECOGNITION EVENTSpecial Gala Seudah Shlishit

Honoring Members of:Chevra KadishaBikur Cholim

HatzolahCongregational Chesed Volunteers

February 24th Following 5:10 pm Mincha

Special Presentation by:Isaac Pollak

KJ Chevra Kadisha Co-chair“Chevra Kadisha:A Literary Tour”

This event is held in conjuction withMoshe Rabbeinu’s yahrzeit (Adar 7)

There is no charge, but we ask that youplease confirm your attendance by

contacting [email protected]

74 West 47th StreetTel. 212-398-7070 Fax: 212-398-

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MENTION “KJ”AND RECEIVE A 10% DISCOUNT

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BNEI MITZVAH

WILLIAM SPIVACKMazal Tov to Carole Spivack on the

forthcoming Bar Mitzvah of her son, William,which will take place on December 16th at KJwhere he will read Parshat Vayeshev. William isin the 7th grade at the Ramaz Middle School.

ALEXANDER GRINBERGMazal Tov to Jeannette and Dr. Mikhail

Grinberg on the forthcoming Bar Mitzvah oftheir son, Alexander, which will take place onJanuary 20th at KJ where he will read ParshatVa’era. Alexander is in the 7th grade at theRamaz Middle School.

MATTHEW WEINREICHMazal Tov to Gabrielle and Howard

Weinreich on the forthcoming Bar Mitzvah oftheir son, Matthew, which will take place at theKotel on Friday, December 22, the 7th day ofChanukah, Rosh Chodesh Tevet. He will thenread Parshat Miketz and the Haftarah at YeminMoshe’s Beit Yisrael Synagogue. He will alsodeliver a Dvar Torah related to his Parsha.Matthew is in the 7th grade at the Ramaz MiddleSchool.

SOPHIE MINTZ Mazal Tov to Dr. Elizabeth and Victor

Mintz on the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter,Sophie, which took place on Shabbat,November 25th, at a Women's Tefillah MinchaService. She read from Parshat Vayetze anddelivered a Dvar Torah on the significance ofmusic in the Torah. Sophie is in the 7th grade atthe Ramaz Middle School.

CELINE IFRAHMazal Tov to Michele and Stephane Ifrah

on the forthcoming Bat Mitzvah of theirdaughter, Celine, which will take place onDecember 26th at Masada's Beit Midrash. Shewill deliver a Dvar Torah about Rosh Chodesh,Bereishit and new beginnings. Celine is in the6th grade at the Ramaz Middle School.

RACHEL ELIANA HUEBNERMazal Tov to Dina and Marshall Huebner

on the forthcoming Bat Mitzvah of theirdaughter, Rachel Eliana, which will take placeon January 13th at a Women's Tefillah service inthe Max J. Etra Chapel. She will read ParshatShmot and its Haftarah, and will deliver a DvarTorah on the Parsha. Rachel is in the 6th gradeat the Ramaz Middle School.

JONATHAN DELUTYMazal Tov to Rebecca Schub on the

forthcoming Bar Mitzvah of her son,Jonathan, which will take place on January27th at Darkhei Noam. He will read ParshatBo and the Haftarah, and deliver a DvarTorah. Jonathan is in the 7th grade at theRamaz Middle School.

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TOBEY NATALIE LINHARTMazal Tov to Dr. Leora and Richard

Linhart on the forthcoming Bat Mitzvah of theirdaughter, Tobey Natalie, which will take placeon February 3rd at a Women’s Tefillah service inthe Max J. Etra Chapel. She will read theHaftarah of Beshalach and deliver a Dvar Torah.Tobey is in the 6th grade at the RosenbaumYeshiva of North Jersey.

MORAD ARYEHMazal Tov to Sharon Aryeh on the

forthcoming Bar Mitzvah of her son, Morad,which will take place on February 10th at theGreat Neck Synagogue where he will readParshat Yitro. Morad is in the 7th grade at theRamaz Middle School.

STEPHANIE ABADIMazal Tov to Esty and Mauricio Abadi on

the forthcoming Bat Mitzvah of their daughter,Stephanie, which will take place on February24th at the "W" Hotel. She will be leading aSiyyum Mishnayot of Masechet Megilla.Stephanie is in the 6th grade at the RamazMiddle School.

KJ Sisterhood enjoys a brunch and museum tour at theMetropolitan Museum of Art

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Shown here are the participating children in KJHL, the youthdepartment’s hockey league. Thank you, coach Jamie Lassner!


In MemoriamTOBY JOSEPH

She died in her mid-nineties, after an association with KJfor well over half a century. Toby Joseph was a fixture in ourshul during all of that time.

She occupied her seat in the Main Synagogue everyShabbat and every Yom Tov. When her husband David Joseph,of blessed memory, was alive they were major contributors toevery appeal that was held at KJ. She herself continued to begenerous right up to the end of her life.

She raised two children in our community and was belovedby many of the women and the families at whose homes shewas frequently a guest. She was vibrant, vigorous, delightfulcompany, and just a great person to know.

We mourn her passing, but we are grateful for the manydecades that she spent in our midst.

DAVID KHAGHANSuddenly and tragically, David Khaghan was taken from

his family and the community in the prime of his life. He wasa delightful, charming, energetic, smiling person who lit up thelives of everyone who came within the orbit of his personality.

He was the beloved husband of Charlene, and the lovingfather of Maxwell, James, Remi, Steven and Victoria Leigh. Hewas also the extremely close son-in-law of our members Sarahand Martin Goldman.

David was the head of an outstanding KJ/Ramaz family.He loved both KJ and Ramaz and he was always generous toboth institutions as well as other Jewish causes.

We will miss him even as we will remain close to - andsupportive of - his family.

On the walls of the Main Synagogue are mounted seven tablets bearingmemorial plaques, representing a permanent and dignified memorialopportunity to honor loved ones. At KJ, now in its 135th year, we keep thelights lit on either side of the plaque each year during the full month of theYahrzeit and also when we recite Yizkor on Yom Kippur, Shemini Atzeret,Pesach and Shavuot.

The two newest tablets, each accommodating more than 150 plaques,were recently mounted at the very front of the Main Synagogue, close to theHoly Ark, affording an opportunity to new purchasers to determine withgreat specificity the location of loved ones’ plaques. In keeping with atradition of community service extending back to the Sisterhood’s inception,these newest tablets, like their five predecessors, were donated to theCongregation as a gift from the KJ Sisterhood, and the bronze footer on allseven tablets expresses appreciation to the Sisterhood and identifies the year inwhich each tablet was dedicated.

The cost of a plaque is $1,000, which is entirely tax deductible. If youhave relatives whom you wish to permanently memorialize, and/or you wouldlike to reserve adjacent plaque spaces for yourself and other living relatives (youshould not need them until after 120 years), now would be a good time to orderplaques and keep all of your family's plaques together in the same location. Ifyou would like to speak with someone about this opportunity, please contact KJAdministrator Leonard Silverman at (212) 774-5680 or [email protected]

OPPORTUNITY TO MEMORIALIZE LOVED ONES212-769-4400

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CREATE AN ENDURINGLEGACY

Please consider participating in theCongregation’s Endowment and PlannedGiving Program, through which you cancreate an enduring legacy of activeparticipation in KJ. Contact LeonardSilverman at 212-774-5680 [email protected] for information.

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Call Alice Smokler at 212-774-5670

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BIRTHSMazal Tov to:

Jill and Jonathan Brickman on the birth of theirson, Elijah.

Elana and Aryeh Bourkoff on the birth of their son,Evan Joseph.

Rivka and Dov Gertzulin on the birth of theirdaughter, Abigail Kate.

Rhea and Dr. Leon Landau on the birth of theirgrandson, Eitan Yaakov, born to their children Ilanaand Dr. Evan Landau of Riverdale.

Daniele and Jules Lassner on the birth of their twingrandsons, Ethan Benjamin and Ryan Oliver, born totheir children Lorie and Andy Lassner of LA.

Jane and Reuben Leibowitz and Rhea and Dr.Leon Landau on the birth of their granddaughter,Sophia Lilliana, to their children Dana and Dr. NeilLeibowitz of Riverdale

Esther and Jonathan Messeloff on the birth of theirgrandson, Alexander Lefko, born to their childrenWendy and Daniel Messeloff of Cleveland.

Geraldine and Jeffrey Mittler on the birth of theirson, Gabriel Ryan. Mazal Tov as well to the proudgrandparents, Janet and Mark Mittler.

Ruth and Dr. David Musher on the birth of agrandaughter, Natalie Clara, born to their childrenSara and Matt Brenner.

Amy and Daniel Nissanoff on the birth of theirdaughter, Phoebe Colette.

Susan and Martin Sanders on the birth of theirgranddaughter, Malka Rafiella, born to their childrenRenata and Adam Sanders of Cedarhurst, NY.

Perri and Akiba Stern on the birth of their firstgrandchild, born to their children Tamar and AriFreundlich of Riverdale.

Alexandra and Haskel ("Zeke") Rabbani on thebirth of their daughter, Orli Rachael. Mazal Tov aswell to the proud grandmother, Jessica Joseph.

Anita and Murray Weltz, one of the co-owners ofPark East Kosher Butchers, upon the birth of theirfirst grandchild, Yaffa Tova, born to their childrenLauren and Shlomo Balsan of Kew Gardens, NY.

May these children grow up in the finest traditionof Torah, chupah, and maasim tovim.ENGAGEMENTSMazal Tov to:

Gloria and Carl William Greene on theengagement of their daughter, Nancy, to NissiamOron, formerly of Be’er Sheva.

Carol and Jesse Schwartz upon the engagement oftheir daughter, Laura Schwartz, to Philip Konieczny,son of Marlene and Kevin Konieczny of Denver. May their weddings take place in happiness andblessing.MARRIAGESMazal tov to:

Ephraim Bernstein on his marriage to Rena Cole,daughter of Diane and Howard Cole of Oceanside,NY. Mazal Tov as well to Ephraim’s parents, Brendaand Albert Bernstein.

Deborah and Dr. Richard Born on the marriage oftheir daughter, Jennifer (Ramaz '03), to BenjaminGerut, son of Robin and Dr. Zachary Gerut of HewlettBay, NY. Mazal Tov as well to the proudgrandmother, Esther Born.

Linda and Charles Fisch on the marriage of theirdaughter, Sassy, to Gabriel Hanauer, son of BrendaHanauer of Teaneck and Benjamin Hanauer.

Martine and Leo Fox on the marriage of theirdaughter, Talia (Ramaz '02), to Abraham Shulman(Ramaz '98), son of Vivian and Yale Shulman.

Lynnette and Jerry Gruenhut on the marriage of

their daughter, Johanna (Ramaz '98), to JonathanFlombaum (Ramaz '98), son of Batsheva and CarlosFlombaum of Riverdale. Mazel Tov as well toJohanna’s proud grandfather, Mr. Paul Schulder.

Rosalie and Harry Kleinhaus on the marriage oftheir daughter, Elissa (Ramaz '96), to DanielWechsler, son of Joyce and Dr. Michael Wechsler ofNew Rochelle. Mazal Tov as well to the proudgrandmother, Mrs. Sara Mandelbaum.

Aaron Packles on his marriage to Chrissie Fuld.Alan Rechtschaffen on his marriage to Miera

Harris. Mazal Tov as well to Alan’s parents, Pamelaand Rabbi Manfred Rechtschaffen.

Audrey and Jesse Rubin on the marriage of theirdaughter, Janet (Ramaz '00), to Jared Mann, son ofCaren and Stephen Mann of Jericho, NY.

Lois and Louis Smigel on the marriage of theirson, Stephen Smigel, to Julie Luchs, daughter ofSusan and Ken Luchs of Potomac, MD.

Anne Yi on her marriage to Don Hadel.COMMUNAL HONORSCongratulations to:

Armand Lindenbaum, who received a tribute at theOhr Torah Stone Annual Dinner on the occasion ofthe dedication of its Program for Practical Rabbinics.PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTSCongratulations to:

Dr. Inna Bakker, on her 2nd volunteer stint for theSar-El organization in Israel, where she assembledmilitary medical kits going to soldiers in Lebanon.

Dr. Aviva J. Briefel, daughter of Robert and MarieBriefel, on the publication of her first book on ArtForgery: "The Deceivers." Aviva is AssociateProfessor of English at Bowdoin College.

Eric Eigen on his exhibition “40 Years of SpatialExplorations,” at the Casa Frela Gallery.

Toby Gotesman Schneier on her exhibition at theGreat Neck Arts Center: "Juxtaposition."

Donna Graham, daughter of Shoshana and WarrenGraham, who graduated this past spring from theUniversity of Buffalo and has begun working in thePublic Relations Department of Showtime Networks.

Estelle Katsh, on her son Ethan Katsh (Ramaz'63), for being honored at a special dinner at theUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is aProfessor of Legal Studies and the 2006-2007Distinguished Faculty Lecturer.

Eugenia Propp on her acclaimed art exhibition atthe Holocaust Education Center of Japan: "Yourgreat works are so creative, beautiful, and energeticthat they inspire us very much.”

Talia Thurm on becoming a US Open TennisBallperson. CONDOLENCESOur condolences to:

Barry Bergman on the passing of his father, WalterBergman.

Renee Bernstein on the passing of her father, BarryReznik.

Ety Biro on the passing of her father, Zvi Ghenut.Keith Breslauer on the passing of his father, Joel

Breslauer.Roberta Caplan on the passing of her mother,

Gertrude Forman Caplan.Gerald Goldstein on the passing of his mother,

Elsie Goldstein.Allen Liebb on the passing of his mother, Anna

Liebb.Evelyn Mandelker on the passing of her brother,

Mortimer Ostow.Gail Perl on the passing of her father, Bernard

Litoff.

Suzy Present on the passing of her mother, SarahGoldberger.

Dawn Rosencrantz on the passing of her father,Norman Zuroff.

Bella Samuels Lesch on the passing of her sister,Anna Samuels.

David Scheinfeld on the passing of his brother,Rabbi Dr. Israel Scheinfeld.

Jesse Schwartz on the passing of his mother, AnneSchwartz.

May they be comforted among all those whomourn for Zion and Jerusalem

W I T H I N O U R FA M I LYKEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETIN

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SHABBAT SCHEDULE Friday Saturday

Lighting Evening Afternoon Sabbathof Candles Services Services Ends

December1-2 Vayetze 4:11 PM 4:20 PM 4:05 PM 5:09 PM8-9 Vayishlach 4:10 PM 4:20 PM 4:05 PM 5:08 PM15-16 Vayeshev 4:11 PM 4:20 PM 4:05 PM 5:10 PM22-23 Miketz 4:14 PM 4:25 PM 4:05 PM 5:13 PM29-30 Vayigash 4:19 PM 4:30 PM 4:15 PM 5:18 PM

January5-6 Vayechi 4:25 PM 4:35 PM 4:20 PM 5:23 PM12-13 Shemot 4:32 PM 4:45 PM 4:25 PM 5:30 PM19-20 Vaera/Rosh Chodesh 4:40 PM 4:50 PM 4:35 PM 5:38 PM26-27 Bo 4:48 PM 5:00 PM 4:40 PM 5:46 PM

February2-3 Beshalach 4:57 PM 5:10 PM 4:50 PM 5:53 PM9-10 Yitro 5:05 PM 5:15 PM 4:55 PM 6:01 PM16-17 Mishpatim 5:14 PM 5:25 PM 5:05 PM 6:09 PM23-24 Terumah 5:22 PM 5:35 PM 5:10 PM 6:17 PM

SCHEDULE OF SERVICESWeekday mornings…………..7:30 AM Sunday mornings……………..8:30 AMMondays and Thursdays……..7:15 AM Rosh Chodesh Weekdays…….7:00 AM

Sabbath mornings…………….9:00 AMEVENING SERVICES

DATES TO REMEMBER

KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETINCongregation KehilathJeshurun

125 East 85thStreetNew York, NY10028-0928

Mon - Wed, December 18-20ChanukahMorning Services at 7:10 amThurs - Fri, December 21-22Rosh Chodesh TevetMorning Services at 7:00 amMonday, December 25Morning Services at 8:30 am

Sunday, December 31Fast of the 10th of TevetFast Begins at 6:08 amMorning Services at 8:30 amAfternoon Service at 4:10 pmFast Ends at 5:16 pmMonday, January 1 Morning Service at 8:30 am

Sun - Mon, February 18-19Rosh Chodesh AdarSunday Service at 8:30 amMonday Service at 7:00 am

Are you receiving your KJBulletin late in the mail? Are you receiving double copies of theBulletin? Weneedtoknow!Please e-mail [email protected] or call 212-774-5654.

Dec. 3- 21 ...........................4:20 PMDec. 24-28 ..........................4:25 PMJan. 1-4 ..............................4:30 PMJan. 7-11.............................4:40 PM

Jan. 14-18 ..........................4:45 PMJan. 21-25 ..........................4:55 PMJan. 28-Feb. 1 ....................5:05 PMFeb. 4-8 ..............................5:10 PM

Feb. 11-15 .........................5:20 PMFeb. 18-22 .........................5:30 PMFeb. 25 - March 1 ............5:35 PM

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TO KJ MEMBERS (Excluding Sale Items)Prompt Delivery

KEHILATH JESHURUN BULLETINCongregation Kehilath Jeshurun

125 East 85th Street, New York, NY 10028212-774-5600

Synagogue OfficialsDr. Haskel Lookstein . . . . . . . . . . . .RabbiMeir Soloveichik . . . . . . .Associate RabbiElimelech Weinstock . . . .Associate RabbiHillel Rapp . . . . . . . . . . . .Assistant RabbiEliezer Rubin . . . . . .Scholar-in-ResidenceDavid Flatto . . . . . . . . . .Rabbinic ScholarAvram Davis . . . . . . . . . .Cantor EmeritusMayer Davis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CantorLeonard Silverman . . . . . . .Administrator

Officers of the CongregationEric Feldstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PresidentIsaac Sherman . . . . . . . . . . .Vice PresidentRae Gurewitsch . . . . . .2nd Vice PresidentRobert Kurzweil . . . . . .3rd Vice PresidentDr. Larry Baruch . . . . . . . . . . . . .SecretaryJoel Katz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TreasurerSurie Sugarman . . . . . .Assistant TreasurerDr. Diana Friedman . .Financial SecretaryJacob Doft . . . . . . . . .Recording Secretary

Past PresidentsBenjamin Brown Fred Distenfeld

Chaim EdelsteinSamuel Eisenstat Stanley Gurewitsch

Affiliate PresidentsSusan Blinken . . . . . . . . .Pres. SisterhoodDr. Mark Meirowitz . . . .Pres. Men’s ClubDaniella M. Muller . . . . . . . .Pres. KesherErica Schwartz . . . . . . . . . . .Pres. KesherJilly Wieder . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pres. Kesher

Office StaffFlorence Cohen

Eva Erlich Devora Jaye Arona SchneiderRudy Arjune . . . . . . . . . . . .SuperintendentHattie Murphy . . . . . . . . . . . . .ComptrollerAlice Smokler . . . .Administrative DirectorEytan Zadoff . . . . . . . . . . . .Youth Director

In preparing the Bulletin, we welcome all KJ members’ announcements of communal, academicand professional achievements. Please e-mail [email protected] or mail news to the synagogue,

marked “ATTN: KJ Bulletin”

CHANUKAH ISSUE KEHILATH JESHURUN - Amazon S3 · Rebecca Feit & Rami Sasson Drs. Lu Steinberg &...

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