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January 2026
Shabbat Dinner & Discussion: Shared Streets, Shared Words: Jews, Blacks, and the Ghetto
The word ghetto began with Jewish history, yet by the late 20th century it was more commonly associated with Black urban life in America. That shift echoed a familiar urban pattern: neighborhoods once densely Jewish became overwhelmingly Black, and the term ghetto moved with them. What happens when a word so marked by one group’s past is taken up by another? How do shared words shape solidarity—or strain it? And what anxieties surface when communities feel their histories are being eclipsed, appropriated, or misunderstood?…
Find out more »Potluck Kiddush Conversation with Scholar-In-Residence Daniel Schwartz
Join us for a Kiddush and talk from Scholar-In-Residence Professor Daniel Schwartz: World of Their Children (and Grandchildren, Great Grandchildren): The Making of the Jewish Upper West Side When Irving Howe published World of Our Fathers in 1976, he offered both an elegy for the immigrant Yiddishkeit of the Lower East Side and a critique of what followed: the “world of their children,” whose Jewishness seemed thinner, flatter, and more conventional by comparison. Yet the Upper West Side unsettled that judgment and…
Find out more »Shabbat Connections: Member-Led Potluck Dinner
Shabbat dinner is sweeter with friends! Join us for Kabbalat Shabbat, and then stay to connect with other AC members, ages 40+, over a warm, casual potluck Shabbat dinner to deepen community ties. RSVP here by Tuesday, January 20
Find out more »Harvesting Our Hope: Tu B’Shevat Meditation
Meditation is the bridge and space we all need in these complex times. Join AC members and meditation teachers Sheila and Sheldon Lewis as we draw from Jewish texts and Torah and teach practices to bring calm to overwhelm, energy, and focus to a busy week. We also draw from the upcoming Jewish holiday, Tu B'Shevat, to guide our meditation. Following the meditation session, we will also be holding Havdala. All are welcome, no meditation experience needed. Learn more and RSVP
Find out more »February 2026
“A Map Won’t Help”: Exhibit of Paintings, Collages, Works on Paper by Amy Tenenouser
AC members and Painting/Collage Workshop participants are invited to join AC member and artist Amy Tenenouser for a free tour of her exhibit and to talk about her work. Please RSVP to amytenenouser@gmail.com. Show will be held at: El Barrio's Art Space 215 E. 99th St. Lower Level NY, NY 10029
Find out more »Tu B’Shevat Winter Tree Walk in Central Park
Celebrate Tu B'Shevat with Ansche Chesed in a new way this year! Join "AC alum" Levi O'Brien on a walk in Central Park to explore tree diversity in our own neighborhood. He will guide us in winter tree identification and discuss the ecology, historical and cultural relevance of the species encountered. Why should fall foliage and spring blossoms get all the glory?! This Tu B'Shevat, we will learn to appreciate our beautiful, backyard winter bounty! RSVP here Wear your winter…
Find out more »Ansche Chesed Book Group
Join our in-person book group for literary conversation rooted in Jewish themes and storytelling. We meet in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel at Ansche Chesed (251 W. 100th St.). We’ll rotate facilitators (voluntary), and our discussions will be warm, thoughtful, and welcoming. All are welcome—members and non-members alike. We will meet on the following Wednesdays: 📅 February 11 📖 Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari 📅 April 15 📖 Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro 📅 June 10 📖 Flash by David Szalay Learn more and RSVP
Find out more »Repro Shabbat: Kiddush Conversation with Meredith Nicholson of the Red Tent Fund
Join us for Repro Shabbat to learn about the Red Tent Fund, a national Jewish nonprofit that provides funding to abortion seekers across the country. As we honor the Jewish value of reproductive freedom, come discuss how the Red Tent Fund works, the particular resonance of reproductive rights in the wake of Oct. 7, the broader abortion landscape in a post-Dobbs world, and how you can get involved. RSVPs encouraged, walk-ins welcome Meredith Nicholson is the Client Services Coordinator at the Red Tent…
Find out more »Reflections Through Painting and Collage: Workshop Series with Amy Tenenouser
In this painting and collage workshop series, led by artist Amy Tenenouser, participants will be introduced to a range of artists and art historical periods while exploring painting and collage through memory, reflection, and Jewish spiritual ideas and culture. Drawing inspiration from still life set-ups and themes that spark imagination and personal life stories, participants will begin to build the foundation for their own unique form of creative expression. Learn more and register
Find out more »A Zionism for the Future: Discussion with Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller
Must Jewish nationalism display the zealotry and racism we see from extremists? Does Israel have resources to become a different kind of nationalism? Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller mines earlier generations of thinkers who believed that Judaism provided the framework to resist chauvinism and to build a moderate, inclusive, peace-seeking religious Zionism. We will hold two discussions, please join us for either or both. Light refreshments will be provided. RSVP here
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