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October 2017
Annual Midnight Run
Join Ansche Chesed members in collecting, sorting, and distributing food, clothing, and toiletries to homeless New Yorkers. You can learn more about the organization at www.midnightrun.org. How can I make a difference ahead of the run? 1. Donate gently used clothing and toiletries (from 10/13 - 10/29) in the lobby 2. Donate money to buy food, underwear and toiletries - donations should be made out to Ansche Chesed with a note that it's for the Midnight Run How can I make a difference the day…
Find out more »November 2017
Ansche Chesed Survey: Highlights
Please join us for a community meeting to discuss the findings of the synagogue-wide survey, and work together to chart an initial course of action. There will be a presentation of the survey highlights, followed by round table discussions. Bagels and lox will be served, and the gym will be open for supervised children's play. All members (even those who did not take the survey) are encouraged to attend! Please RSVP! If you do, you will be entered into a…
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A Taste of the Zohar: Early Morning Study
Join us monthly, after morning minyan, for coffee and bagels and to learn with Rabbi Kalmanofsky. This year, we will have a taste of The Holy Zohar, the "Bible" of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). Thanks to the masterful translation by Daniel Matt, now English speakers can experience the most beautiful Jewish book ever written.
Find out more »Shifting Ground; Immigration. Refugees. DACA.
WHY DO CHANGES IN POLICY MATTER TO US? WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP? Join Ansche Chesed and the Synagogue Coalition for the Refugee and Immigrant Crisis for an evening focusing on the current changes to policy, and how they impact immigrants and refugees. Learn what we can and must do to advocate for change and assist those in need, as we hear from a DACA recipient, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky, representatives from HIAS and Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights,…
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It’s An Emergency! Homelessness In NYC
"You have at least 70,000 homeless on any given day, between those on the street and those in shelters. It's an emergency." - Michael Greenberg from an interview in Slate, 8/8/17. Michael Greenberg, distinguished journalist with experience covering homelessness in New York City, will provide an informative and dynamic overview of NYC homelessness and the major contributors to the problem in our city. In a recent article in The New York Review of Books, Greenberg wrote that: "New York City…
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Open Your Hands: Tzedaka Priorities and Values For End-Of-Year Giving
REGISTER HERE. American households will give more than $90 billion in charitable gifts this December, nearly one-third of all their private donations. As Jews, what are our tzedaka priorities? How do our choices express our values? Please join Rabbi Kalmanofsky to study some classical Jewish texts and discuss how to decide our own tzedaka decisions.
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Oy, Caramba!
Jewish Latin American fiction, ranging across many countries, is a rich trove of literary achievement. In this guided reading group, we will be reading stories in translation from Oy Caramba! a critical anthology edited by Ilan Stavans. Josh Hanft will facilitate the discussions. Please consider purchasing a copy of the book in advance of the first class. To see the stories that will be read, click here
Find out more »December 2017
The Ruined House: A Seudah Shelishit Celebration of Ruby Namdar
REGISTER HERE. Join the Ansche Chesed community as we celebrate the English publication of The Ruined House by member Ruby Namdar. Join us at this Seudah Shelishit program which will include a conversation between Rabbi Kalmanofsky and the author, and after Shabbat an opportunity to purchase his book and have it signed by Ruby. The winner of the Sapir Prize, Israel’s highest literary award, Ruby Namdar’s The Ruined House follows Andrew P. Cohen, a professor of comparative culture at New York University, who is at the…
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Combatants for Peace
Register here. In 2006, Israeli and Palestinian former combatants, people who had taken an active role in the conflict, laid down their weapons and established Combatants for Peace. The egalitarian, bi-national, grassroots movement was founded on the belief that the cycle of violence can only be broken when Israelis and Palestinians join forces. As a result of their work, they were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, 2017. Join us as “Combatants” tell their stories.
Find out more »#MeToo, Gender, and Ansche Chesed
Rabbi Mychal Springer, director of the Center for Pastoral Education at JTS and friend to many at AC, will join us to lead a discussion about the issues surrounding sexual and gender harassment that many experience, and how to better make a communal space for such discussions here at Ansche Chesed.
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