Past Events
February 2017
Ansche Chesed Winter Dance
FEBRUARY 25TH FROM 7-11PM Advance tickets by February 19th include a glass of beer or wine Cost: $15 for members; $18 for nonmembers; $20 at the door Board games and light refreshments! Couples and singles welcome! 7pm: Square Dancing. Beginners welcome! 8:30-11pm: Dance to the music you love! Swing, Disco, R&B, Motown, Salsa, and more! Register here.
Find out more »April 2017
Israel Looking Forward: A Conversation with MK Omer Barlev
Join Ansche Chesed and BINA: The Jewish Movement for Social Change for an intimate conversation with Member of Knesset עמר בר-לב - Omer Barlev (Zionist Union) in honor of Israel's 69th birthday, with a special focus on the future and how Israel can move forward constructively into its next decade. Mr. Barlev will share his own experience and insight on the topics of Israeli diplomacy, democracy, conflict, and peace - and on his own BARLEV INITIATIVE to ending the conflict. Free. RSVP Required. Click here to…
Find out more »Megillat Ha’atzmaut
Please join Ansche Chesed and Omer Bar-Lev Barlev on Sunday, April 30 at 10am for a special community-wide event. Explore Israel's Declaration of Independence as a modern Jewish sacred text. Join Knesset Member Omer Bar-Lev and others to mine Israel's founding document, seeking beyond politics to values and national vision. Co-sponsored by Bina: The Jewish Movement for Social Change, part of its "Israeli Talmud: Tractate Independence" project. Free. Click here to RSVP.
Find out more »June 2017
TREE OF LIFE: 270 years of Jewish Choral Music
Ninety voices bring to life the sounds of classical and contemporary Jewish Choral music in the beautiful sanctuary of Ansche Chesed. Handel, Mendelsohn, Schubert, and Lewandowski, as well as contemporary 21st Century compositions, based on Jewish texts and themes. With Shirei Chesed Community Chorus at Ansche Chesed, directed by Cantor Natasha J. Hirschhorn and Shir Chadash: The Brooklyn Jewish Community Chorus, directed by Cantor Rachel Brook. $15 in advance/$20 at the door; children under twelve $5 in advance/$10 at the door…
Find out more »April 2018
Annual Tribute
Join us as we honor Brad Rothschild and Michele Sachar Rabbi Jules and Navah Harlow Judith Shulevitz and Nicholas Lemann For their dedicated service to Congregation Ansche Chesed Register on our Tribute Website.
Find out more »September 2019
The Israeli Election: An Analysis of the September 17th Election
Israel will return to the polls on Septembe 17th after the last election in April was unable to result in the formation of a government. Please join us as we welcome Michael Koplow, Policy Director of The Israel Policy Forum who will serve as our very own Steve Kornacki and will help us make sense of the results of this election, and get a better sense of what is to come for the State of Israel. Michael Koplow is Israel…
Find out more »October 2019
Israeli Fiction Book Club
Join us monthly for Ansche Chesed’s first book club. This year, member Jeremy Caplan will lead a book club focusing on Israeli fiction, covering a range of contemporary and classic Israeli writers including Amos Oz, Etgar Keret, S.Y. Agnon, Meir Shalev and more. This group will gather to discuss the books, and get to know one another in a relaxed, comfortable setting. October 29: Three Floors Up, by Eshkol Nevo. December 10: The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God…
Find out more »November 2019
Mussar with Rabbi Judith Edelstein
Mussar is a thousand-year-old body of teachings and practices that provide distinctively Jewish answers to the questions we all ask about life. Mussar guides you in identifying your unique, personal path of spiritual growth and offers practices to assist you on your journey. Join Ansche Chesed member Rabbi Judith Edelstein to explore the anatomy of the soul, your personal soul curriculum, how to use that curriculum as the basis for personal growth, and how Mussar provides guidance. You'll explore some of…
Find out more »May 2022
Tribute 2022: With Joyous Shouts of Gratitude
Join us as we honor Sara & Scott Harris, Judy Margolin & Seth Schwartz and Mark Paul for their exceptional leadership and commitment to Ansche Chesed. Place a journal ad expressing your thanks through the AC website. We’ll be livestreaming the speeches and tributes at approximately 6:30pm.
Find out more »Ukraine from the Eyes of a Rabbi
Rabbi Alisa "Tzipi" Zilbershtein is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary. Before her studies at JTS, she taught History of Jewish Philosophy at the National University of "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy" in Ukraine. Rabbi Zilbershtein lived in Kyiv, Ukraine, where her partner Viktor was born, and has every intention of returning to Ukraine to serve as a Rabbi as soon as it is safe to do so. Since the first day of the war, Rabbi Zilbershtein has been doing everything in her power…
Find out more »July 2022
Sunday Morning Minyan
Morning Minyan is held in person in the Chapel on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, and on Rosh Chodesh and Civil Holidays. Minyan begins at at 7:30am on weekdays and at 8:30am on Sundays and Civil Holidays. Services are also available virtually via Zoom on all days the minyan meets. In-person services are held in the Chapel. All Morning Minyan services will continue to be available on Zoom Please click here for more info. JOIN US VIA ZOOM at https://anschechesed.org/morningminyan…
Find out more »Secular Holiday Morning Minyan
Morning Minyan will begin at 8:30am for July 4th, in-person in the Chapel and on Zoom. Anyone who has ever visited Ansche Chesed’s morning minyan will tell you that it is something very special, bringing together all segments of Ansche Chesed’s diverse community. They gather to say Kaddish for loved ones, to comfort others in mourning, to celebrate simchahs (joyous occasions) and to ground themselves before starting their day. The service is brisk and allows for a more meditative and personal approach…
Find out more »September 2022
Big Kids Service (3rd Grade through Bnai Mitzvah)
This service, geared toward 3rd through 6th graders, delves into the structure, purpose and words of our Shabbat morning tefillot (prayers) and the weekly parshah (Torah portion), which we experience as community through discussion and interactive activities. Aimed at ages 8-12, kids only.
Find out more »Mishpacha Service (Babies, Toddlers and Preschoolers)
Babies, toddlers and preschool age kids and their families are invited to join us for our Mishpacha Service. Get in the Shabbat spirit with songs, puppets, movement — and your friends from Ansche Chesed. Geared towards children ages 0-4, with parents.
Find out more »Yigdal Service (Kindergarten through 2nd Grade)
This service, geared towards children in Kindergarten through 2nd Grade, introduces children to a variety of Shabbat tefillot (prayers). A section of the Torah is read and the week’s parsha (Torah portion) is presented through discussion, skits, and stories. Aimed at children ages 5-7, with parents.
Find out more »Rosh HaShanah Round Challah Braid n’ Bake
There's nothing quite like starting the New Year with warm, home-baked round challah, dripping with sweet honey! Join us on Erev Rosh HaShanah as we learn how to make round challot with AC member Erica Cohen (check our her Challah posts on Instagram: @ericaavin). We will learn round challah braiding techniques, and everyone will leave with fresh challah to enjoy at your Rosh Hashana table. You can either bring your own pre-made Challah dough (click here for a sample recipe),…
Find out more »October 2022
Yom Kippur: Old Stories, New Endings
Come together with fellow AC members of any age to quietly reflect upon and write through moments of regret of the past year. Through engaging the craft of storytelling, reflection, and sharing, we will compose new endings to old stories to take with us into the new year. This workshop will be led by AC member Rebecca Wallace-Segall. Rebecca is the founder and CEO of Writopia Lab, an extraordinary program helping children and teens grow as creative writers, and The Writer's…
Find out more »December 2022
Teen Shabbat Dinner
Join AC Teens for a special Chanukah and World Cup-themed Shabbat dinner, including games and delicious food! Teens (8th grade and up) are invited to this event. Please SIGN UP HERE by Tuesday, December 13th, $18/teen. Contact asebert@anschechesed.org with any questions.
Find out more »January 2023
Learn to Read the Torah
Would you like to learn how chant the Torah, helping the community hear the holy text? Please join Hazzan Hirschhorn to learn the cantillation system. Participants in the class can prepare a section of the Torah to read during services on the second day of Shavuot, May 27. January 9, 23, February 13, 27, March 13, 27, April 17, May 8, 22
Find out more »Yesodot: Jewish Foundations
Jewish life often seems to demand a lot of background knowledge. Where do you learn it all, especially as an adult? Please join Rabbi Hammerman and Rabbi Kalmanofsky to learn anew or go back and review some core Jewish practices and concepts. January 9, 23, February 13, 27, March 13, 27, April 17, May 8, 22
Find out more »Matir Assurim: God Who Frees Prisoners – Shabbat Dinner of MLK Weekend
One of Judaism’s major spiritual motifs is that God liberates the imprisoned, enabling them to begin again. This resonates in American life today: With so much incarceration, there are also many organizations devoted to helping people begin anew upon release, and examining the system that jails so many. On Martin Luther King weekend, what can we learn about spiritual and social liberation by studying how people leave physical prisons? Please join AC member Ben Metsch, vice president of the Fortune…
Find out more »Shabbat Guest Teacher: Shoshana Nambi HUC Rabbinical Student, from Uganda’s Abayudaya Jewish Community
Shoshana Nambi will deliver the dvar torah in the Sanctuary, and then during Kiddush she will teach and share about her experiences growing up in the Abayudaya community. If you are planning to join us for Kiddush, please consider making a donation to the AC Kiddush Fund so we can continue to nourish our bodies and souls each Shabbat. Shoshana Nambi, grew up in Uganda’s Abayudaya Jewish community in her village of Nabweya, learning Hebrew at her synagogue and teaching…
Find out more »Daughter of Auschwitz
With the youngest Shoah survivors growing older, we are the final generation who will hear their stories first-hand. Tova Friedman, mother of AC member Gadi Friedman, is one of the very youngest Auschwitz survivors, having entered that prison before her 6th birthday. Tova will join Ansche Chesed on Shabbat, January 21, to share the remarkable story she recounts in her new book The Daughter of Auschwitz: My Story of Resilience, Survival and Hope. Please join us to think about the…
Find out more »April 2023
Yom HaShoah Reading of the Names
Each year, AC joins the JCC and other Upper West Side synagogues in the annual commemoration of Yom HaShoah, by reading from the book of names of those who perished in the Shoah. AC has a designated 30-minute slot for members to read the names. Participants are also welcome to read their own family names. Please email AC member David Israel if you would like to participate. If you are unable to participate with AC overnight, the reading will continue…
Find out more »Family Shabbat Services and Dinner: Celebrate Israel!
We invite all families to welcome Shabbat with us and celebrate Israel with songs and stories, led by Rabbi Yael and Aliza Sebert. Service begins at 5:30pm. After the service, we will have a delicious Israeli Shabbat dinner with Open Gym! Please click here to register for the dinner below by Wednesday, April 19th at noon. Contact Aliza Sebert with any questions.
Find out more »Teen Cooking Class
Calling all teens, come celebrate Yom Ha'azmaut with a Teen Cooking Class, Israeli style! Join special guest Israeli chefs and Aliza to learn how to make some of your favorite Israeli foods. Your friends are welcome too! Click here to RSVP by Wednesday, April 19.
Find out more »May 2023
Rabbi Jules Harlow Lecture: Praying With a Full Heart From Contemporary Prayer Books
Please join us to honor our treasured member, teacher, and friend with our inaugural Rabbi Jules Harlow Lecture. Jules’ poetic translations of the liturgy, and inclusion of excerpts from contemporary literature in Siddur Sim Shalom and his High Holiday Machzor, have enhanced and expanded our prayer experience. Rabbi Edward Feld, Senior Editor of the Conservative Movement's current High Holiday, Shabbat and Festival prayer books, and Chair of the Rabbinical Assembly’s Prayer Book Committee, will teach in honor of Rabbi Jules…
Find out more »September 2023
Confession, Repentance, and the High Holidays
To American Jewish ears, confession can sound so .... Catholic. And yet, in Jewish law and spirituality, the practice of confessing your sins, or vidui, is indispensable to the process of personal change. Join Rabbi Kalmanofsky to explore the Yom Kippur confession liturgy and the themes it reflects. What experiences might confession awaken in us? How can it help us make teshuva, and turn towards becoming our best selves?
Find out more »October 2023
Standing in Solidarity With Israel
Ansche Chesed joins the Upper West Side Jewish Community, gathering together in prayer and solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel. Please join local rabbis and community members for an evening of prayer and song at 7 tonight, October 9 at Ansche Chesed, at the corner of West End Avenue and 100th Street. Doors open at 6 p.m. Please do not bring any bags, to facilitate easy and safe entry. If you cannot make this gathering in person, you can…
Find out more »Shabbat Shir Chadash
Back by popular demand! Join us to welcome Shabbat with ruach and musical flair as we bring klei zemer into our Friday evening services. “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” - Leonard Bernstein
Find out more »
Shabbat Dinner and a Show With Rabbi’s Wife and Comedian, Liz Glazer
Need a good laugh? Join us for "Shabbat Dinner and a Show"! Bring your friends, a bottle of wine (or Kedem if you prefer) and leave your political correctness at the door, as we welcome Shabbat and comedian Liz Glazer to AC. Register online by Wednesday, October 25 at noon. Liz Glazer is a Jewish, lesbian comedian, actor, and writer who used to be a tenured law professor, a job she was very funny at. Liz is a recent first…
Find out more »November 2023
Friendsgiving Family Shabbat Service and Dinner
Join us for a lively, family-friendly Kabbalat Shabbat service at 5:30pm followed by a Family Shabbat dinner and open gym! RSVP online by Wednesday, November 15 at noon. Service at 5:30pm, Dinner at 6:30pm.
Find out more »December 2023
January 2024
Kabbalat Shabbat Led by ACHS Kitah Zayin Students
Kabbalat Shabbat this week will be led by students from the AC Hebrew School's Kitah Zayin. Kitah Zayin and upcoming B'nai Mitzvah families are invited to stay after for a family Shabbat Dinner -- details and registration.
Find out more »Shirei Shabbat Potluck Dinner
Following an evening of song and prayer with Hazzan Hirschhorn, stay after for potluck dinner with zemirot. Please bring a dairy of parve dish to share, online registration required.
Find out more »Potluck Shabbat Dinner with Zemirot
This Friday of Shabbat Shira, the Sabbath of Song, join Hazzan Hirschhorn and Shirei Chesed singers for an evening of song and prayer as we support and elevate the voice of our community with rich harmonies. Stay for a special Musical Surprise and a potluck dinner with zemirot after the service -- please bring a dairy or parve dish to share, online registration required.
Find out more »March 2024
Shirei Shabbat
Join Hazzan Hirschhorn for an evening of song and prayer as we support and elevate the voice of our community with the help of Shirei Chesed singers.
Find out more »Sunday Morning Minyan
Morning Minyan is held in person in the Chapel on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, and on Rosh Chodesh and Civil Holidays. Minyan begins at at 7:30am on weekdays and at 8:30am on Sundays and Civil Holidays. Services are also available virtually via Zoom on all days the minyan meets. In-person services are held in the Chapel. All Morning Minyan services will continue to be available on Zoom Please click here for more info. JOIN US VIA ZOOM at https://anschechesed.org/morningminyan…
Find out more »From Despair to Hope: An Evening with Sally Abed and Alon-Lee Green of Standing Together
Join us as we host the New Israel Fund for an important conversation with Sally Abed and Alon-Lee Green, co-directors of Standing Together (Omdim Beyachad-Naqif Ma'an). Standing Together is an organization predicated upon the centrality of Arab-Jewish partnership, and is an essential voice during this difficult time in Israeli history. They will share personal stories about the work they have done and the support system they have created through their thousands of members–volunteers working to maintain a group of Jews…
Find out more »Sunday Morning Minyan
Morning Minyan is held in person in the Chapel on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, and on Rosh Chodesh and Civil Holidays. Minyan begins at at 7:30am on weekdays and at 8:30am on Sundays and Civil Holidays. Services are also available virtually via Zoom on all days the minyan meets. In-person services are held in the Chapel. All Morning Minyan services will continue to be available on Zoom Please click here for more info. JOIN US VIA ZOOM at https://anschechesed.org/morningminyan…
Find out more »Jewish Communal Responses to October 7th: Voices from the Pulpit — A Panel Discussion with Minyan M’at
Minyan M’at, an egalitarian kahal at Ansche Chesed, is thrilled to sponsor a series of panels devoted to exploring issues that affect our community after the horrors of October 7 and Israel’s response. Outstanding Jewish thinkers will come together to talk about Jewish communal responses to October 7, the role of Zionism for Diaspora Jewry, the role of “Jewish Progressives”, and how we should think about prayer in a time of war. All events are free and open to the…
Find out more »Sunday Morning Minyan
Morning Minyan is held in person in the Chapel on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, and on Rosh Chodesh and Civil Holidays. Minyan begins at at 7:30am on weekdays and at 8:30am on Sundays and Civil Holidays. Services are also available virtually via Zoom on all days the minyan meets. In-person services are held in the Chapel. All Morning Minyan services will continue to be available on Zoom Please click here for more info. JOIN US VIA ZOOM at https://anschechesed.org/morningminyan…
Find out more »April 2024
Zionism, Diaspora Jewry & October 7th: A Panel Discussion with Minyan M’at
Minyan M’at, an egalitarian kahal at Ansche Chesed, is thrilled to sponsor a series of panels devoted to exploring issues that affect our community after the horrors of October 7 and Israel’s response. Outstanding Jewish thinkers will come together to talk about Jewish communal responses to October 7, the role of Zionism for Diaspora Jewry, the role of “Jewish Progressives”, and how we should think about prayer in a time of war. All events are free and open to the…
Find out more »Sunday Morning Minyan
Morning Minyan is held in person in the Chapel on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, and on Rosh Chodesh and Civil Holidays. Minyan begins at at 7:30am on weekdays and at 8:30am on Sundays and Civil Holidays. Services are also available virtually via Zoom on all days the minyan meets. In-person services are held in the Chapel. All Morning Minyan services will continue to be available on Zoom Please click here for more info. JOIN US VIA ZOOM at https://anschechesed.org/morningminyan…
Find out more »Lifting Our Spirits with Song!
Come for a glorious evening of spirited vocal performance, presenting classics from Sondheim and Bernstein right up to brand-new compositions. We will be honoring our beloved Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn on the occasion of her 20th anniversary with Ansche Chesed, as well as featuring her friends and guest Cantors-Composers Gerald Cohen, Benjie Ellen Schiller and Isaac Sonett-Assor, with the Shirei Chesed Community Choir and internationally acclaimed pianist Alexandra Joan. Champagne reception and treats to follow! Register Online -- pay what you…
Find out more »Sunday Morning Minyan
Morning Minyan is held in person in the Chapel on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, and on Rosh Chodesh and Civil Holidays. Minyan begins at at 7:30am on weekdays and at 8:30am on Sundays and Civil Holidays. Services are also available virtually via Zoom on all days the minyan meets. In-person services are held in the Chapel. All Morning Minyan services will continue to be available on Zoom Please click here for more info. JOIN US VIA ZOOM at https://anschechesed.org/morningminyan…
Find out more »