Not to be confused with Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Anshe Ungarn, "Great House of Study of the People of Hungary", a Lower East Side congregation founded in 1883 by Hungarian Jews.
Beth Hamedrash Hagodo: בֵּית הַמִּדְרָש הַגָּדוֹל, "Great Study House "is an Orthodox Jewish congregation that for over 120 years was located in a historic building at 60–64 Norfolk Street between Grand and Broome Streets in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was the first Eastern European congregation founded in New York City and the oldest Russian Jewish Orthodox congregation in the United States.
Founded in 1852 by Rabbi Abraham Ash as Beth Hamedrash, the congregation split in 1859, with the rabbi and most of the members renaming their congregation Beth Hamedrash Hagodol. The congregation's president and a small number of the members eventually formed the nucleus of Kahal Adath Jeshurun, also known as the Eldridge Street Synagogue. Rabbi Jacob Joseph, the first and only Chief Rabbi of New York City, led the congregation from 1888 to 1902.Rabbi Ephraim Oshry, one of the few European Jewish legal decisors to survive the Holocaust, led the congregation from 1952 to 2003.
The congregation's building, a Gothic Revival structure built in 1850 as the Norfolk Street Baptist Church and purchased in 1885, was one of the largest synagogues on the Lower East Side. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. In the late 20th century the congregation dwindled and was unable to maintain the building, which had been damaged by storms. Despite their obtaining funding and grants, the structure was critically endangered.
The synagogue was closed in 2007. The congregation, reduced to around 20 regularly attending members, was sharing facilities with a congregation on Henry Street The Lower East Side Conservancy was trying to raise an estimated $4.5 million for repairs of the building, with the intent of converting it to an educational center. In December the leadership of the synagogue under Rabbi Mendel Greenbaum filed a “hardship application” with the Landmarks Preservation Commission seeking permission to demolish the building to make way for a new residential development. This application was withdrawn in March 2013, but the group Friends of the Lower East Side described Beth Hamedrash Hagodol's status as "demolition by neglect"
מוכר כאתר היסטורי לאומי וממשיך לתפקד כמקום התפילה של קהילת קהל עדת ישורון.
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- ספרים למנויים
- לפני 8 שנים
קהילת קהל עדת ישורון ממשיכה לקיים תפילות מעריב ותפילות יום שבת בהיכל מדי יום, כמו גם תפילות בחגים וביום טוב. קהל עדת ישורון לא החסירה תפילת שבת או חג מאז שנפתח בית הכנסת. -
- ספרים למנויים
- לפני 8 שנים
בית הכנסת ממשיך להוות מרכז קהילתי ומקיים מגוון אירועים חינוכיים, תרבותיים וקהילתיים לכלל תושבי האזור ולכל זרמי היהדות.
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קהילה קדושה יאנינה הוא בית כנסת הנמצא ברחוב ברום (Broome) 280 בין רחובות אלן (Allen) ואלדרידג' (Eldridge) בלואר איסט סייד במנהטן ניו יורק. הוא נבנה בשנים 1925-1927 ותוכנן על ידי סידני דאוב. הוא בית הכנסת היחיד בחצי הכדור המערבי שנוהגים בו בנוסח הרומניוטים השונה גם מנוסח אשכנז וגם מנוסח ספרד.
לקהילה קדושה יאנינה יש ייחוד בהיותו בית הכנסת הרומניוטי היחיד בחצי הכדור המערבי הקהילה נוסדה ב-1906 על ידי מהגרים יהודי יוונים מיואנינה, אבל בית הכנסת לא הוקם עד 1927. השנים מאז ועד מלחמת העולם השנייה היו שנים של שפע לקהילה הרומניוטית בלואר איסט סייד. כיהנו בבית הכנסת שלושה רבנים ובימים הנוראים היה בית הכנסת מלא מפה לפה. אחרי מלחמת העולם השנייה עבר חלק גדול מבני הקהילה לרבעים אחרים וחלקים אחרים של מנהטן כולל הרלם, ברונקס וברוקלין. קהילות אלה כבר אינן פעילות היום. למרות שהקהילה התמעטה באופן קבוע מאז ימי הזוהר שלה לפני המלחמה הרי עדיין מתקיימות תפילות בבית הכנסת בשבתות ובחגים. למרות שיש לבית הכנסת רשימת תפוצה של 3,000 אנשים הרי, לעתים קרובות, חסרים אנשים למניין בתפילות השבת. סיורים מודרכים מתקיימים בכל יום ראשון למבקרים. לקהילת יאנינה יש חלקה בבית העלמין בוולווד (Wellwood). שם יש גם מצבת זיכרון ליהודי יאנינה שנספו בשואה.
הבניין נוסף לרשימה הלאומית של מקומות היסטוריים ב-30 בנובמבר 1999 וצוין כנקודת ציון של העיר ניו יורק ב-11 במאי 2004 . הוא עבר שיקום נרחב ב-2006.
Congregation Kehila Kedosha Janina
A small synagogue in New York City's Lower East Side is reaching out to make people aware of its congregation's heritage through a museum that familiarizes people with its customs and history.
The synagogue is virtually unchanged since being built in 1927 by Romaniote Jews from Janina, Greece. In 2004, it was designated a landmark by the City of New York.
Both memorabilia and the museum's tour guides describe the story of the Romaniote Jews, from their entry into Greece in the first century to their current life in America.
Differences between Greek Romaniote Jews and the Greek Sephardic Jews who fled from Spain to escape the Inquisition are featured: The two groups speak different languages and have distinct customs.
The synagogue is open for Shabbat services at 9:00 a.m. and on holidays. Look for the schedule of "Holiday Services" on our sidebar menu.
The Museum is open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sundays, or please contact us if you wish to have a special appointment.
History
SEPHARDIC COMMUNITY OF GREATER BOSTON
The Sephardim, the first Jewish community to reach America in 1492 together with Christopher Columbus, have been living in Boston for over 350 years. They arrived around the same time as the city of Boston was incorporated in the year 1630. Spanish Portuguese Jews escaping the inquisition and persecution, settled throughout the English Colonies, regaining their freedom of religion, and building their homes and businesses. The first documented Jew in Boston was Solomon Franco, a Sephardic Jew from Holland, who arrived in 1649.
Among the famous patriots living in Boston, was Moses Michael Hays, a Portuguese Sephardi. He and his family left Newport for Boston ahead of the British attack in 1776, at a time that Boston was devastated by the physical and financial effects of the American Revolution. For the next three decades, Moses Hays and his family would play key roles in establishing the financial and cultural institutions that would define post-Revolutionary and 19th-century Boston.
He opened a shipping office in Boston and was among the first merchants there to underwrite shipbuilding, trade and insurance to newly opened Far Eastern markets. In 1784, Hays become a founder and the first depositor of the Massachusetts Bank still doing business today as part of the Bank of America. He was an honorary member of the Boston Marine Society, and a founder of the Mass Mutual Fire Insurance Company and the Mass Marine Insurance Company.
Moses Hays was also active in a variety of civic projects. He donated to subscriptions to beautifying the Boston Common, to building bridges and turnpikes, and to Harvard College.
His son, Judah Hays, and his nephews, Abraham and Judah Touro (after whom Touro Synagogue in Newport, RI, the oldest synagogue in America is named) continued in his tradition. They helped establish Mass General Hospital (Abraham Touro’s portrait is on the wall, in the main lobby), the Boston Athenaeum and the Bunker Hill Monument (The base of the Bunker Hill Monument bears an inscription honoring Judah Touro).
Besides socializing with Paul Revere and Harrison Gray Otis, these Sephardic families were sincere to their Jewish roots. Their businesses were closed on Shabbat, kosher meat was being delivered from Newport, regular prayer services were being held at their homes, and their household library contained dozens of Hebrew books.
However, with all prosperity, the early Boston Sephardic Jews were considered alien-residents. No Jewish houses of worship were allowed in Boston. Furthermore, the Hayes, Touro, Lopez and many other Boston Sephardic families had to bury their deceased in Newport, since there were no Jewish cemeteries allowed at that time. Hence, they were all tied to New York and Newport’s Spanish Portuguese congregations, where they donated regularly and were members. Not until the Massachusetts Constitutional Amendments of 1821, were the Jews granted full rights of citizenship, shortly before a group of Sephardic Algerian Jews arrived in Boston in 1830.
In 1840, the Sephardic Jews in Boston were joined by the Ashkenazim, who had just arrived from Germany, settling at first in the old South End, just South of Boston Common. German immigrants began immediately to establish the traditional institutions that characterized Jewish communities around the world, now that they were permitted in Boston. In 1842, the first Jewish congregation in Boston, calling itself Ohabei Shalom (Lovers of Peace) was formed. Their first synagogue dedicated in 1852 was strictly orthodox. It housed a Mikveh (ritual bath) and a Talmud Torah for children. Two years later, Ohabei Shalom established the first Jewish cemetery in the city. Finally, after two centuries, Boston Jews no longer had to be buried in Newport or New York City. Judah Touro included in his will a large donation to Ohabei Shalom before his death in 1854.
As Ohabei Shalom and it’s break-away, Adath Israel (today Temple Israel), eventually both became Reform Temples, the Sephardic Jews, keeping strictly to their traditional lifestyles, joined and identified with the more religious congregations, and prayed in their synagogues.
In the 1870’s through the turn of the century, there was a group of primarily North African Sephardim, who held Sephardic services in Zion’s Holy Prophets of Israel (The Alfred A. Marcus Orthodox Synagogue) in Boston’s South End. They were using a Torah Scroll dedicated by the famous Sephardic philanthropist, Sir Moses Montefiore. As the Jewish community started to migrate to the suburbs of Roxbury, Dorchester & Mattapan, so did the Sephardim. They continued praying in the synagogues on Blue Hill Ave.
Mattapan is where the history of our Sephardic Community in Brighton began. Many Sephardic Jews were fleeing Egypt, after the rise of President Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1956, who subsequently expelled all the Jews and confiscated all their property. After the transition from Egypt, usually through France, where they waited a few years to receive their visas, they arrived in the USA. Approximately sixty families settled in Boston, by the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.
Hacham Elie Setton, born in Aleppo, Syria, was a Torah scholar and merchant in Alexandria, Egypt. He arrived in Boston in1963, and organized the first prayer services on Yom Kippur of that year. Together with his father-in-law, R’ Eliyahu Hamaoui, and his brother-in-law, the noted Hazzan of the Great Synagogue of Cairo, Shaoul (Charles) Hamaoui and his brother-in-law, Mr. Albert Habif (later elected treasurer of SCGB), they acquired space from Rabbi Moshe Gurkow, in his newly formed Shaloh House Hebrew Day School in Mattapan, and conducted the Yom Kippur services.
That year, in attendance, there were only three families with just nine men/boys that could be counted for the minyan. They invited an Ashkenazi friend to complete the minyan. The next year, as many more families arrived in Boston, they had dozens of people at the High Holiday services. Eventually, other Sephardim living in Boston from other countries of origin, (such as the Cohen families from Greece) found their home with this Syrian-Egyptian group. Hacham Setton became the spiritual leader of the entire Sephardic community, and together with the Hazzan, Shaoul Hamaoui, they lead the services, and began a new chapter in the lives of Boston’s Sephardic Jews.
In 1965, due to the deteriorating Jewish situation in Mattapan, the Sephardic community needed to move again. Many of them settled in Brookline, around Coolidge Corner. The High Holiday Sephardic services were conducted in the Social Hall of the Southern House, on Beacon Street.
The community kept on growing in Brookline, as still many more Egyptian families were arriving, and many other local Sephardim, by now, had heard of the Sephardic services, and hundreds came to join. Eventually, the High Holiday services were moved to the Chateau Garod Wedding Hall on Beacon St. Year after year, following the High Holiday services, the community yearned that one day they should merit to have a synagogue of their own.
In 1977, under the leadership of Dr. Charles Sasson, the Sephardic Community of Greater Boston filed the legal papers, becoming incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Mass.
In 1979, under the leadership of Dr. Charles Naggar & Dr. Martin Hanopole, together with Rabbi Ezra Labaton & Dr. Baruch Mazor, the High Holiday services were extended to Shabbat services too, meeting every week in the Beit Midrash of Young Israel of Brookline.
In 1983, under the leadership of Mr. Clement (Rahmin) Kodsi, the community accepted our beloved Rabbi Aaron Hamaoui, who eventually succeeded his uncle and father, as Rabbi and Hazzan of the community. Rabbi Hamaoui instituted the daily minyan and many Torah classes, which continue till this day. Over the years, the Rabbi has reached out and has made a major impact on hundreds of Jewish families and international college students studying in Boston.
On Yom Kippur 1988, under the leadership of Mr. Moshe Rahmani & Mr. Edmond Shamsi, a successful campaign was launched to finally build our own synagogue. Major contributions were received from the Shamsi and Zafarani families, and also from the Cochab, Elmaleh, Feuerstein, Gabbay, Kodsi, Naggar & Sitt families. Also, among those who donated generously were the Aghion, Ariel, Bauer, Foonberg, Habif, Hassan, Lester, Mayo, Mosseri, Sabetfard, Sanieoff & Schinazi families.
In 1989, the community inaugurated their first synagogue building, Kol Sasson Bnei Shaoul, at our present location, on Corey Road in Brighton. Hence, after three and a half centuries, the Sephardim finally had their first Sephardic synagogue building in the city of Boston.
For over a quarter of a century, this synagogue building has not only served the needs of the Sephardic community, it has also homed and been instrumental in founding many other important institutions of Jewish Boston, such as the Kollel of Greater Boston, Bais Yaakov Girls High School, Ohr Yisrael Yeshiva High School, and others.
In 2008, shortly after a major renovation and completion of the Abraham Picciotto Beit Midrash, several dynamic young professionals reached out to form the New Ashkenaz Minyan (NAM). This Minyan, which is integral to the Sephardic Congregation of Greater Boston, started in October 2008 and has ever since attracting many young adults, families and students. It is a very popular destination for newcomers to Boston.
Congregation Ohab Zedek, or OZ, as it is fondly known, is more than just a synagogue. Under the leadership of Rabbi Allen Schwartz, the Shul is known for its open doors and big heart. OZ has broad ties with the surrounding Jewish community and its Upper West Side neighborhood as a whole. A random visitor could easily encounter an up and coming scholar from Israel, or members of the local fire station. It is an informal, comfortable, inclusive community.
OZ is a modern Orthodox congregation, but any individual is welcome, regardless of background or means. It is a Shul of interlocking communities–young families who find a relaxed setting on Shabbos morning to introduce their toddlers to services; singles, who famously crowd the steps on Friday night; and seniors, many of whom have been members of OZ for decades. It is home to those tentatively exploring Judaism as well as the most learned, who are stimulated by a broad array of lecturers and classes.
Rabbi Allen Schwartz became the spiritual leader of Congregation Ohab Zedek in 1988. He is an alumnus of Yeshiva College and received his Master of Arts Degree in Bible, Rabbinics and Halacha from Yeshiva University's Bernard Revel Graduate School, where he continues to work on his doctoral thesis on Rashi's methodology. Rabbi Schwartz was granted Smicha from the University's affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He currently holds the Raymond J. Greenwald Chair in Jewish Studies at Yeshiva University, where he has taught since 1983.
Rabbi Schwartz and his wife Alisa moved to the Upper West Side in 1985, where he served as rabbi at Congregation Ohav Shalom before moving to the pulpit at Ohab Zedek. Rabbi Schwartz's major focus at OZ is to foster connections within and among the many different age groups and constituencies of Jews living on the Upper West Side. Seeking to make all kinds of religious opportunities available to Ohab Zedek members, he brings information to the community regarding such subjects as Chesed, Tzedakah, Torah learning, Shatnes testing, Tefillin and Mezuzah service, and assistance with Mitzvah and Shabbos observance. Rabbi Schwartz's goal for the community is to make every OZ attendee a member of the larger community family.
Rabbi Schwartz gives weekly classes on a variety of subjects at OZ and also taught fifth through eighth grades at Manhattan Day School. He has lectured extensively for the Board of Jewish Education of New York at elementary and high schools in the New York area. Rabbi Schwartz has published curricula on Biblical themes for Jewish day schools nationally and has written Bible curricula for Yeshiva day schools and high schools. He serves on the executive board of the Rabbinical Council of America and has also served as President of the Council of Orthodox Jewish Organizations of Manhattan's West Side. Rabbi Schwartz was the camp rabbi and educational director of Camp Morasha from 1996 to 2000 and then served as the educational director of Camp Mesora from 2002 to 2005 and continues to dedicate time during the summer months to serve its educational staff.
Rabbi Schwartz recently completed a scholarly edition of the Commentary of the Rokeach to the Book of Proverbs.
Rabbi and Alisa Schwartz have six children and eleven grandchildren.
LSS is a diverse and vibrant Modern Orthodox Congregation that provides religious, social, and educational services and outreach to the unique Jewish community of the Upper West Side. The synagogue strives to be a model in the integration of Halachic Judaism and contemporary life to the broader Jewish community.
In 1964, in the living room of an apartment in Lincoln Towers, a part-time rabbi from Yeshiva University named Steven Riskin took the budding Lincoln Square Conservative Synagogue by storm. His originality, charm and boundless energy captivated members and moved them to a more traditionally observant Judaism, in turn sparking a growing Jewish renaissance on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Before long, a new synagogue-in-theround made its debut at 200 Amsterdam Avenue, and the excitement at the renamed Lincoln Square Synagogue brought hundreds of young single professionals to the neighborhood, creating a vibrant scene for mixing and matching. Young families were also drawn to LSS, attracted by the dazzling teachings of Rabbi Riskin, assisted by Rabbi Herschel Cohen z”l and Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, and the gorgeous melodies of Cantor Sherwood Goffin. “The New Orthodox” they called it on the cover of New York Magazine. Who knew? But as members struggled to navigate between the laws of Jewish tradition and the secular values of the surrounding society, Lincoln Square Synagogue began to see its destiny.
Just down the street from the temples of high culture at Lincoln Center, Lincoln Square Synagogue quickly established itself as a temple of an innovative kind, showcasing the classical and the contemporary, history and modernity. With joy and pride, the challenges of present-day living were brought into harmony with the ancient traditions passed down through the generations. The sacred liturgical texts of tefillah were infused with a new vitality as haunting, time-honored melodies shared the stage with the music of Shlomo Carlebach and The Rabbi’s Sons. The thirst for wisdom was quenched with the scholarship of Rashi and Rambam blended with the insights of 20th-century thinkers like Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook and Rabbi Joseph Dov HaLevi Soloveitchik. Everything old was new again.
What emerged was a synagogue with its own, unique, invigorating rhythm: home to meaningful and enthusiastic worship, to be sure, but also a place to establish lifelong friendships, build businesses and organizations, find soul mates and nourish the next generation through education and religious instruction. Thousands of Jews of all ages and backgrounds had come together to create a true makom kadosh, providing support for each other in times of sorrow and sharing joy in times of simcha. LSS was now a unified community whose commitment to Judaism and love of humankind extended beyond self and family to the world at large. You could walk in off the street for the first time, as so many did, and feel you’d been here before.
As the years flew by, the stunning success of Lincoln Square Synagogue brought with it newfound responsibility: to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse membership, an ever-expanding neighborhood and a 21st-century world. New solutions for new realities were required that would acknowledge the changing landscape, while staying true to the synagogue’s core principles and personality. Recognizing the difficulties faced by those forced to care for their children and their parents at the same time, and those older members in need of help, LSS became the first local Orthodox synagogue to add a part-time social worker to its core staff, guiding those needing support and companionship through the complicated maze of social service programs.
Identifying a resurgent thirst for Torah study on an individual, one-on-one level, LSS members founded the first full-time Modern Orthodox/Religious Zionist Kollel in the New York metropolitan area, offering the learned and the uninitiated new and exciting educational opportunities that reflected a love of Torah as well as eretz yisrael and am yisrael – the land and the nation of Israel.
And always mindful of the needs of the greater Jewish community, LSS members created the Lea Segre Tomchei Shabbos Fund providing free meals to those recovering from illness and childbirth or sitting shiva, as well as the Louis Lazar Benevolent Fund providing free religious articles like siddurim, mezuzot, and tefillin to those in need. All of this and weekly Bikur Cholim visits to Roosevelt Hospital every Shabbat afternoon, annual clothing drives, and a dedicated Chesed Fund that supports a variety of charitable causes in New York and across the country. As our sages teach, “olam chesed yibaneh” – acts of kindness build the world – and Lincoln Square Synagogue always does its part.
In 2013, LSS continued the next phase of its history and moved 100 yards south to 180 Amsterdam Avenue.
Our Rich History
Eastern European Jewish immigrants arrived to the city of Boston in large numbers beginning in the 1880s. With little or no income, they looked to rebuild their old communities anew in the United States. Many Jews decided to settle in crowded, undesirable tenement neighborhoods like the North and West Ends of Boston where cheaper housing was available. There Jews often formed a landsmanschaft – an organization of re-settled people originally from the same area in Europe.
This was the case for a group of Jewish immigrants from Vilna Guberniya – the county outside of present-day Vilnius, Lithuania – who formed a landsmanschaft in 1893 on the north slope of Beacon Hill in Boston's West End. They prayed together, gathering a minyan – ten men needed to hold a complete Jewish prayer service – in the homes of their members. As their membership increased and they formed a traditional Jewish congregation, they needed a permanent synagogue. They called themselves Anshei Vilner or “the People of Vilnius" and sought a new home for their group.
As the number of immigrants moving to Beacon Hill increased and landowners built tenements to house them, the 150 year-old African American community living there began to move away. Buildings emerged on the market and in 1909, Anshei Vilner purchased the former 12th Baptist Church (est. 1848) at 45 Phillips Street and turned it into their synagogue. After ten years of worship at 45 Phillips Street, the city of Boston purchased the synagogue from Anshei Vilner for $20,000 and demolished the building to make way for the expansion of the Wendell Phillips School.
On December 11, 1919, Anshei Vilner laid the cornerstone for its new building at 18 Phillips Street. The congregation employed the only Jewish architect in the city, Max Kalman, and young men in the community helped with the construction. Vilner congregants painted the walls and ceiling of their new synagogue with decorative murals, a long-standing tradition of Eastern European Jews. Three distinct sets of murals covered the walls of the Vilna Shul, although these paintings were later covered over with beige paint. Today they are some of the only examples of pre-war Jewish mural art in the United States.
For 65 years, the congregation prayed at 18 Phillips Street, but in 1950 life rapidly changed in the West End. The city destroyed the West End in an urban renew project, leaving places like the Vilna as one of the only synagogues in the area. As most of the Jewish community had long since left Beacon Hill for more desirable neighborhoods and open space, the Vilner became a synagogue for those "left" on the Hill. The last remaining member of Anshei Vilner, Mendel Miller, held a Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) service in the synagogue for the last time in 1985.
Today the Shul is a little different. We are a cultural center, a place where the history of Boston's Jews can be shared and enjoyed by everyone and where Boston Jewish life thrives once again.
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are powerful tools for improving schools, classrooms and informal learning spaces. PLCs (and their equivalent Communities of Practice for communal workers) allow education professionals to network with their colleagues, share insights and provide support for each other. CJE convenes participants with shared expertise and experience to collaborate and ensure maximum efficiency.
CJE currently facilitates the following professional learning communities for Baltimore Jewish Day Schools:
- Guidance Counselors/Psychologists
- Facility Managers
- Information Technology Specialists
- Librarians
- Marketing Professionals
In addition, CJE facilitates a Community of Practice for Baltimore Jewish communal professionals working with families with young children.
מיטל וצבי וילור צידון נישאו זה לזו בניו-יורק ב-2006. לצד ההחלטה על חיים משותפים רקמו השניים החלטה נוספת: לעשות משהו טוב למען הקהילה הישראלית בניו-יורק. מיטל וצבי רצו לחבר בין הישראלים הרבים שחיים בעיר ולספק להם מקום של חוויה יהודית וישראלית אותנטית. מזה שמונה שנים שמיטל וצבי מזמינים מידי יום שישי ישראלים רבים לארוחת שבת חגיגית אצלהם בבית בקווינס, פרויקט המוכר בתור "שישי אצל צבי".
"התחלנו מיד כשהתחתנו", מספר צבי. "אנשים תמיד אומרים, 'אל תתחבר עם ישראלים! ישראלים, במיוחד כאלה שחיים בחו"ל, הם אנשים קשים'. אבל אנחנו רצינו להראות צד אחר של הישראלים, להראות שאנחנו אנשים טובים ויפים. רצינו לחבר ולאחד את הישראלים, להוציא את הצד הטוב והיפה, שיהיה ישראלי מאוד. כשהתחלנו את 'שישי אצל צבי' גרנו בבית ממש קטן, עם מטבח קטנטן, אז התחלנו בקטן. בהתחלה היו באים רק שישה אנשים ומיטל התלוננה שלא מגיעים מספיק אנשים. אבל ידענו שאם נחכה ונתמיד בסוף זה יתפוס. ובאמת, לאט לאט, חבר הביא חבר וזה התחיל לתפוס. פתאום היינו שמונה אנשים ואחרי זה עשרה. היום, כל שבת, ברוך השם, יש אצלנו בבית בערך שלושים אנשים. בחורף, זה נע בין עשרים לשלושים איש, ובקיץ יושבים גם בחצר ומגיעים בין שלושים לארבעים איש. בראש השנה יושבים אצלנו בסלון, בחדר האוכל והחצר ביחד גם חמישים-שישים איש. ובל"ג בעומר האחרון היו אצלנו שבעים איש, שחגגו על-האש בחצר".
כשהוא לא מתפקד כבית חב"ד של איש אחד ואישה אחת, צבי מנהל חברה לשיווק באינטרנט ועוסק בהקמת אתרים וקידום בחיפושים. החברה שלו גם זכתה פעמיים ברציפות בפרס לקידום אתרים מטעם גוגל. אבל נראה שהמצווה של אירוח עשרות ישראלים לחוויית שבת מיוחדת מידי שבוע היא בעלת חשיבות לא פחותה מבחינת צבי, ובהחלט לא פחות תובענית מבחינת זמן ומשאבים.
איך אתם מכינים ארוחה לשלושים איש מדי שבוע?
"זה פרויקט שאנחנו עובדים עליו כל השבוע. ביום שלישי אני עושה את הפרסומים על מנת שזה יופיע בכל מקום וכדי שאנשים ידעו שיש להם לאן לבוא לשבת. אני מפיץ את הידיעה באינטרנט ובפייסבוק, ואני שולח הודעות טקסט לרשימת תפוצה של 200 אנשים. אחרי זה אנחנו עושים קניות בימים רביעי וחמישי. ביום חמישי אנחנו מתחילים את הבישולים. אנחנו כבר כל כך מיומנים בבישולים בכמויות האלה, שבדרך כלל אנחנו גם משלימים את הבישולים עוד לפני יום שישי. את הכל מיטל ואני מבשלים, לפעמים עם קצת עזרה מחברים".
למה יכול לצפות אורח בשישי אצל צבי?
"בארוחות 'שישי אצל צבי' הכי חשוב זה האווירה. יש אווירה נעימה ונינוחה, בלי ויכוחים ורעשים. יש אצלנו אווירה ביתית של שבת, עם קידוש ושירים, חלה ונרות דולקים. יש ארוחה גדולה, שהאורחים עוזרים להגיש, כמו בבית, ואחרי הארוחה הרבה מהאורחים נשארים לשבת, שרים ומדברים. מאז שהתחלנו כבר נוצרו אצלנו הרבה קשרים וחברויות וגם כמה חתונות שהתחילו אצלי בבית. מבחינת האוכל, אנחנו מכינים את הכל בעצמנו בבית. אנחנו משתדלים שלא להגיש שום דבר קנוי או מוכן מראש. בכל ארוחה אנחנו מגישים עשרה סוגי סלטים, חצילים וטחינה וחומוס שאנחנו מכינים. אנחנו מגישים מרק צמחוני, דג מרוקאי ובשר ועופות ותוספות לצמחונים, וקינוחים. כמעט לא קונים שום דבר תעשייתי. אנחנו רוצים שהכל יהיה ביתי וטרי ואורגני וכמה שיותר בריא".
איך מכלכלים ארוחה גדולה כל כך מדי שבוע?
"בשבע שנים הראשונות עשינו הכל לבד וכלכלנו כמעט את הכל מכיסנו. השנה אמרתי שנעשה ניסיון ונבקש סכום סמלי מכל אורח. כשהתחלתי לפרסם את הארוחות בתשלום, פנו אלי כל מיני אנשים ואמרו, 'צבי, עזוב אותך, אל תיקח כסף על הארוחה ביום שישי הקרוב, אני אשלם על הכל'. וככה יצא שאנשים טובים מכסים את ההוצאות כמעט בכל הארוחות מאז, ואנחנו יכולים להמשיך ולהזמין אורחים ללא תשלום".
בעמוד הפייסבוק של "שישי אצל צבי", חולקים צבי ומיטל בוידאו את המתכונים שלהם בעת ההכנה של הארוחות. אפשר למצוא שם בין היתר מתכונים מצולמים של עוגת תמרים פרווה ללא אפייה, חלות ארבעה דגנים או דג סלמון כבוש. הם גם חולקים עשרות מכתבי תודה והערכה משלל האורחים שביקרו בביתם.
איזה מין אנשים מגיעים לארוחות "שישי אצל צבי"?
"אני אוהב להגיד, 'בשישי אצל צבי, כל אורח הוא VIP'. מגיעים ישראלים מכל הבא ליד – סטודנטים, רופאים, בנקאים ואנשי נדל"ן. לפעמים מגיעים תיירים ישראלים שנמצאים בסביבה, או דיילות של אל-על. כל מי שרוצה לבוא מוזמן. אני רוצה להפיץ את הידיעה על 'שישי אצל צבי' כדי שעוד אנשים ידעו על זה שיש להם מקום לבוא בסוף השבוע לארוחת שבת ישראלית ולהיחשף לצד היפה של הישראלים כאן".
בבית חב"ד תמצא בית כנסת, הכנה לנישואין, שיעורי יהדות אישיים, בדיקת תפילין ומזוזות, שיעורי תורה לגברים ונשים, סידור קידושין, שירותים/השאלת מזוזות.
Chabad House Bowery is enabling and inspiring young Jews to take responsibility for creating a bright personal and communal Jewish future.
We are building a movement to bring healing to the world.
Our vision is for Chabad House Bowery to carry out the Jewish mission with boundless love, deep inspiration, creativity and style.
בבית חב"ד תמצא, מרכז לגיל הרך, מועדון ילדים , תוכניות בת/ר מצווה, מודעות החג, הרצאות קהילתיות , בדיקת תפילין ומזוזה.
לימוד אחד על אחד, הוראה דתית, הוראה דתית לתלמידי PS, ביקור בבית חולים, ביקור בכלא, ביקור קשישים, שירותי לוויה.
בנוסף שבת / חג אירוח, ארגון חתונות.
The Kehilla – A Brief Historical Review
K'hal Adath Jeshurun ("KAJ") was the name of the famed Kehilla in Frankfurt-am-Main, in pre-war Germany. It was established by Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch who was brought to Frankfurt in 1851 to lead the small remnant of the Orthodox community which had been decimated by the Reform. Disassociating ("Austritt" – Independent Orthodoxy) from the Reform and under the banner of his "Torah im Derech Eretz" approach, Rav Hirsch founded a school (the "Realschule") and rebuilt the Orthodox Frankfurt Kehilla to great success.
In the late 1930's, driven out of Europe by Hitler and his followers, a small number of German refugees who had settled in the Washington Heights section of New York joined together to establish a Minyan of their own where they could maintain their accustomed Minhagim and cherished tradition.
When Rav Dr. Joseph Breuer arrived in New York in February 1939, he was asked to become Rav of this Minyan which, at the time, was held only on Shabbos. Upon accepting this position, Rav Breuer immediately offered his home so that there could be regular weekday services. At the suggestion of the Rav, the minyan assumed the name of the famous Frankfurt Kehilla “K'hal Adath Jeshurun”. Like the Frankfurt Kehilla, this congregation was to become a full-fledged Kehilla to serve as a bastion of Independent Orthodoxy and a bearer of the "Torah im Derech Eretz" banner.
Rav Breuer was the grandson of Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch and the son of Rav Dr. Salomon Breuer, who had succeeded Rav Hirsch in his position as Rav of the Frankfurt Kehilla. Rav Dr. Joseph Breuer had served as the Rav of the "Klaus" synagogue in Frankfurt and as the Rosh HaYeshiva of the Frankfurt Yeshiva.
Rav Breuer saw the opportunity to rebuild the Frankfurt Kehilla of old, but at the same time making it a center that attracted not only people from Frankfurt and Germany at large but from many neighboring Kehillos of Europe. While in general the Kehilla continued the Minhagim of Frankfurt, some changes were introduced by Rav Breuer to accommodate members who came from other communities.
After the modest beginning, the Kehilla rented space in the Republican Club of Washington Heights. Soon the space proved too small and, in time for Pesach 1939, the hall of 90 Bennett Avenue was rented. During that year, a fire destroyed a large part of the hall and it became necessary once again to move to other quarters. The premises at 187th Street and Fort Washington Avenue were then rented until 1941, when the Kehilla purchased the building at 90 Bennett to serve as the Shul and, later, as the Yeshiva. The current Shul building at 85-93 Bennett Avenue was built in 1952 (and extensively renovated in 2001); the facility at 90 Bennett Avenue then began serving as a social hall. Originally called the Schuster Hall, it is now known at the Dr. Raphael Moller Auditorium.
In spite of great difficulties and enormous obstacles, Rav Breuer set out to establish the institutions required for an all-encompassing Kehilla. His initial effort called for the establishment and building of a Mikveh. Although he was advised by many that it was unrealistic to try to build a Mikveh at that time of war and economic uncertainty, Rav Breuer characteristically persevered and a building on 187th Street and Audubon Avenue was purchased and the Mikveh opened in 1943. The Mikveh was moved to its current location at 186 Street and Broadway in 1982 and extensively renovated in 2002.
Ever concerned with the welfare of the Kehilla, Rav Breuer asked Rav Shimon Schwab, then Rav of Congregation She’arith Israel in Baltimore, to join him in the Rabbinate in 1958. With his command of the English language, Rav Schwab was a special influence on the younger members. Under his guidance, the Yeshiva added a S’micha program. His erudition and oratorical ability gained for him and the Kehilla world-wide renown. For 22 years, Rav Breuer and Rav Schwab worked together to develop the Kehilla in all its aspects. Rav Breuer was niftar in 1980; Rav Schwab was niftar in 1995.
In 1987, the Kehilla asked Rav Zachariah Gelley to join the Rabbinate and assume the position of Morah D'Asrah and Av Bais Din. Rav Gelley had been the Rosh Yeshiva in Sunderland, England for 22 years. In 2006 the Kehilla invited Rav Yisroel Mantel of Lucerne, Switzerland, to join the Rabbinate.
"The Kehilla needs a Yeshiva" was a repeated appeal by Rav Breuer. In 1944 the Yeshiva, named Yeshiva Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, was established and classes were held in the Shul building at 90 Bennett Avenue. Mr. Jacob Breuer was the elementary school Principal until he retired to Eretz Yisrael in 1986. Subsequent Principals were Rabbi Baruch Lichtenstein, Rabbi Reuven Drucker and Rabbi Nosson Adler; the present Principal, Rabbi Yehudah Moller, is a grandson of long-time president of the Kehilla, Dr. Raphael Moller. For decades Rabbi Emanuel Weldler served as secular studies principal of Junior High and High Schools. The Broadway Building was rebuilt as a school building in 1958 and the High School building next to the Shul was built in 1961. The Rika Breuer Teachers Seminary was established in 1963 under the leadership of Rabbi Joseph Elias. In 1973, the Mesivta and the Beth Medrash were relocated to a new building at 220 Bennett Avenue, named Beth Medrash al shem HoRav Shlomo Breuer.
The Beth Medrash was founded in 1958 by Rav Naftoli Friedler (the senior maggid shiur in the Yeshiva since 1948), who became the first Rosh Yeshiva. He was assisted by Rabbi Eliyohu Krieger who served the Yeshiva in various roles for over five decades. Rav Friedler was succeeded by, YB”L, Rav Yaakov Perlow, who in 1976 also assumed the position of the Novominsker Rebbe. During his tenure as Rosh Yeshiva the Kollel was started. In 1981, Rav Pinchos Kahn became Rosh Yeshiva; he was succeeded in 1986 by Rav Meir Levi, who is also the current rav of K’hal Adath Jeshurun of Monsey. Since 2009, Rav Yehoshua Rubanowitz has also held the title of Rosh Yeshiva. He has re-established a post-high school beis medrash program which has grown to over 70 bachurim.
Rav Breuer also oversaw the establishment of a Kashrus network, known for its integrity, as well as the gradual development of gemilus chessed institutions such as Chevros Kaddisho for men and women.
In 1947 Rav Breuer invited Rav Moshe Jacobovits to join him as Dayan of the Kehilla. Rav Jacobovits, a native of Lakenbach, Austria and a talmid of the Pressburg Yeshiva, assisted the Rav in the expanding Kashrus network and gave regular Shiurim. After his untimely passing in 1950, he was succeeded by Rav Eleazar Tarsis, a talmid of Rav Dr. Salomon Breuer and of Lithuanian yeshivos. In 1967, Rav Jacob Posen, a member of the Gateshead Kollel for many years, became the Dayan and in 1989 Rav Chaim Kohn became an additional Dayan of the Kehilla. Rav Eliyahu Glucksman joined the Kehilla in 1970 to serve the Rabbinate with particular involvement with the youth of the community and later became a Dayan of the Kehilla.
The burden of the administrative work of the Kehilla has been carried over the years by the Board of Trustees, headed first by Mr. Walter Joseph, followed by Dr. Raphael Moller, who served as president for 38 years. Rabbi Edwin Katzenstein succeeded Dr. Moller in 1980 and presided over the Kehilla at a crucial time after the petiros of Rav Breuer and Dr. Moller. Rabbi Katzenstein was succeeded in 1986 by Dr. Erich Erlbach, who served in that position until 2008. He was succeeded by Mr. Avram Cahn, who served for four years. Currently, Mr. Samson R. Bechhofer serves as president of the Kehilla.
Under Rav Breuer and his successors, the Rabbinate continues to adhere to the philosophy of "Independent Orthodoxy" which rejects both the legitimacy of other branches of Judaism and any dealings with organizations associated with them. KAJ also bases its approach and structure on Rav Hirsch's philosophy of "Torah im Derech Eretz", which encourages involvement in the modern world under the dominion of Torah without any compromise of loyalty to Torah and its precepts. Learning Torah is a core value of the Kehilla and there are many intensive shiurim and learning programs at various levels for men and women of all ages.
Unlike most Ashkenazic synagogues in the United States, which follow the Nusach Askhenaz ("Polish") liturgical rite, KAJ follows Minhag Ashkenaz ("German") in its liturgical text, practices, and melodies. Its first official Chazon was Mr. Abe Wertheim who was joined in 1949 by Mr. Robert R. Frankel (who officially “retired” in 1989 but continued davening at the Omud on many occasions through Shabbas Shuvah 2008 just days before he became ill and subsequently thereafter was niftar). In 1962, Mr. Frankel was joined by Rabbi David Kenner; after Chazen Frankel’s retirement, Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kenner served as Chazon together with his father for a period of 10 years. In 2001, Mr. Ezra Hes and Rabbi Ezra Lasdun were appointed Chazonim. Chazan Lasdun continues to serve as the Kehilla’s official chazon. The Chazonim, Baale Tefillo and the men and boys of the choir take great pride in perpetuating the familiar Niggunim of the Kehilla.
True to the concept of a full service kehilla, KAJ comprises a synagogue offering shiurim and lectures, a yeshiva, a beth medrash and a social hall. The Kehilla also provides its members with a Mikveh, the services of a Chevra Kadisha and a renowned Kashrus supervision.
קהילת שארית ישראל נוסדה במנהטן, ניו יורק בשנת 1654, על ידי מגורשי ספרד ופורטוגל, ונחשבת לקהילה היהודית הוותיקה בארצות הברית. בית הכנסת של הקהילה, המכונה גם "ספרדי-פורטוגזי" ("Spanish and Portuguese"), מתפקד כאורתודוקסי. ממוקם ברחוב 70 (מערב), ניו יורק.
הקהילה נוסדה ב-1654 על ידי 23 מהגרים יהודיים, שבאו מברזיל, ונחשבת לקהילה היהודית הממוסדת הראשונה בארצות הברית.[דרוש מקור] במשך השנים, השתתפו חברי הקהילה במאבק למען זכויות אזרחיות ליהודי ארצות הברית, ובהדרגה השיגו את מבוקשם. מכיוון שהקהילה הייתה הקהילה היהודית היחידה בעיר ניו יורק עד שנת 1825, שארית ישראל תפקדה בתור המרכז של החיים היהודיים, סיפקה מקום לתפילה ולימוד – הן חילוני והן תלמוד תורה, כמו גם מקום לשירותים דתיים (אוכל כשר, מקווה וכו') ומפגשים חברתיים.
Weekday Services January 31 – February 5, 2016 5776 – Mishpatim – Sunday – Friday – January 31 – February 5, 2016
SCHEDULE
Morning Services
Sunday 8:00 am
Monday – Friday 7:15 am
Sunday – Thursday 6:30 pm
Shabbat Services February 5 – 6, 2016 Mishpatim – 5776 – Friday Eve & Saturday – February 5 – February 6, 2016
SCHEDULE
Friday
Candle Lighting 5:00 pm
Services 5:00 pm
Saturday
Morning Services 8:15 – 11:45 am
Torah Reading: Mishpatim
Seuda Shelishit & Class 3:55 pm
Minhah & Arbit 4:55 pm
Sunset 5:19 pm
Habdalah 5:48 pm
The synagogue was supported by the many millinery organizations that were based in the neighborhood. A group of these ready-to-wear industry business men had been meeting in various spaces, mostly in a loft on West 36th Street. Their rabbi during this very loosely organized time was Rabbi Moshe Ralbag. In January 1933, the congregation was more formally organized and the name of the synagogue, the Millinery Center Synagogue, was agreed upon, although the meeting place was temporary, at 1011 Sixth Avenue, on the second floor. Moe Brillstein (the father of film producer Bernie Brillstein) became president and started a building fund. At that point the congregation came together and decided to build a synagogue.
Due to the density of millinery businesses in the neighborhood, at its peak, services for daily minyan were typically so heavily attended that the prayer sessions were held in rotating shifts.
The synagogue was built by H.I. Feldman a prolific, Yale-educated architect who built thousands of Art Deco and Modernist-style buildings in New York City,notably 1025 Fifth Avenue (between 83rd and 84th Streets) on the Upper East Side and the LaGuardia Houses on the Lower East Side, as well as many buildings that line the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. Feldman and his company, The Feldman Company, also built the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies building (130 East 59th Street) and the United ewish Appeal building (220 West 58th Street).
There were wartime restrictions on building, so building was postponed for a time until 1947. The building's construction was completed in September 1948, and the synagogue was dedicated on September 12, 1948.