Ramath Orah has a unique legacy among Upper West Side synagogues. Founded in 1941 by Rabbi Dr. Robert Serebrenik, the synagogue’s original congregation was comprised of 61 refugees from Luxembourg who escaped the Nazi occupation under extraordinary circumstances. When they arrived in New York they immediately began the work of establishing a congregation in their new home. By 1942, they had founded Congregation Ramath Orah, naming it after the community they'd left.
We want our children to love the experience of shul so that they look forward to coming every Shabbat and holiday. We want our congregants to enjoy each others’ company, linger over Kiddush, laugh with one another, and be comfortable in our shul. For our members, we want to be the first place that they think of when it is time to celebrate a simchah, and the community they turn to in times of loss.
Worship – We are a place where Jews may worship together in an atmosphere that maximizes our ability to forge a relationship with G-d. Our community embraces spiritual, melodic prayer, from a Carlebach-style Kabbalat Shabbat, to festive holiday celebrations, and daily prayer.
Learning – We are deeply committed to study and education, and there are opportunities every week to learn with our rabbis and visiting scholars.
Chesed – We are dedicated to the ideals of bikur cholim (visiting the sick) and g’milut chasadim (doing good deeds), and the Ramath Orah Team of Chesed (ROTC) can often be seen visiting sick or elderly members of the community. We seek to integrate Chesed programs into the life of our community and to involve as many of our congregants as we possibly can in our Chesed programs.
Zionism – As a Jewish community, we are strongly committed to the State of Israel and encourage advocacy and activism. We believe that the creation of the State of Israel marks the beginning of the fulfillment of G-d’s promise to the Jewish people and foreshadows our ultimate redemption. Accordingly, the preservation of the Jewish State and the ability of its citizens to live in peace, safety and prosperity is a goal of our congregation, one which we not only pray for, but contribute our time and resources to help achieve.
Engagement – All members of our community are active participants, . While everyone is welcome to attend davening in our main sanctuary on holidays, we also host a monthly women’s prayer group and weekly Children’s Shabbat programs.
We are not judgmental of our fellow Jews, and we welcome all to our synagogue and accord honors in our services without regard to affiliation or non-affiliation of our members and guests. Ramath Orah seeks to be at the forefront of mutual tolerance and respect for Klal Yisrael. Ramath Orah, moreover, does not turn away anyone, either from participation in shul activities or from receiving honors, because of an inability to pay dues or make contributions.
We aspire to be a synagogue that makes every visitor, from the moment he or she enters our Shul, feel welcome and appreciated. We want every congregant to feel a personal obligation to reach out not only to visitors and new members, but to their fellow congregants. Click here to learn more about our hospitality program.
My heimish, friendly local modern Orthodox Shul
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- לפני 8 שנים
מקום טוב לעשות קידוש להולדת הבת.
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Welcome to Congregation B’nai Avraham, the Orthodox synagogue in Brooklyn Heights. As the only Orthodox synagogue in the neighborhood, we serve a unique role in accommodating people with divergent religious backgrounds and at varying levels of observance. We welcome all!
Our goal is to increase the level of Jewish awareness, knowledge and observance by providing a warm, welcoming community with activities to appeal to people at all levels and with varying interests. We provide a daily morning and evening minyan and more than ten classes a week for adult learning, as well as beginner’s services and children’s services on Shabbat. Our Mei Menacham Mikvah is perhaps the most beautiful mikvah in the City.
Our membership includes both Ashkenazim and Sephardim, and our members’ first languages include Hebrew, Russian, Yiddush, French, Spanish and Arabic, as well as English. Our spiritual leader, Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin, is a member of the Chabad movement, and during services most people use the RCA ArtScroll Siddur and the Stone Chumash, although other Siddurim and Chumashim are readily available.
Come to Saturday services and enjoy a sociable kiddush afterwards, or stop by at one of our many classes, or come to a Friday night dinner with singing, joy and a guest speaker. Whether you are a yeshivah graduate, baal teshuvah, considering conversion or totally new to matters Jewish, we welcome you, and you will find a comfortable place in our vibrant community.
Daily Classes
There’s always something happening at B’nai Avraham! Every day of the week Jewish education classes are taught for free in English.
If you want to pursue your Jewish education, there are no more excuses. See our *list of classes* for more particulars. Don’t see your topic on the list? Ask us!
History
In the Summer of 1988 Stephen and Penny Rosen, having recently become more observant, wanted to establish an orthodox Shabbat minyan. Together, they contacted Rabbi Shimon Hecht of B’nai Jacob in Park Slope, who supplied them with a Torah scroll, books, and a very young man to lead services and read from the Torah. Space was rented from a local theater group, signs posted, calls made, and the hope was that someone would show up for the scheduled Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services. Initially, there were the Rosens, Drs. Walter and Brenda Molofsky, previous members with the Rosens of a local Conservative Synagogue, the young man (Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin) and Rabbi Raskin’s brother Shua, who was recruited to walk from Crown Heights with the Rabbi.
Amazingly enough, other people came so that there was a minyan, and the first and only Orthodox Synagogue in Brooklyn Heights began.
After Yom Kippur, holiday and Saturday morning services were held at the Rosen’s residence for the next nine months. The Congregation was officially founded as a religious corporation in December 1988. It was named B’nai Avraham in honor of Stephen Rosen’s grandfathers, both of whom had the Hebrew name “Avraham.” Rabbi Raskin noted that “B’nai Avraham,” literally, “children of Abraham” is the name given to converts, and the Congregation has had many converts among its members. After nine months at the Rosens’, the Congregation rented a parlor floor apartment on Clinton Street. As the landlady lived upstairs, the front door had to remain locked. Generally, Stephen Rosen waited at the front door to let people in. Latecomers tossed pebbles against a window and someone would come down to let them in.
We then moved to a commercial space at 100 Clinton Street, where at long last, we could leave the door open. Finally, in 1996, we moved to our current location at 117 Remsen Street, purchased from the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue (Reform), which acquired a larger building three doors away.
In 2000, the Mei Menachem Community Mikvah was built. It is one of the most beautiful and elegant Mikvahs in the New York area.
RABBI DANIEL SHERMAN
Rabbi Daniel Sherman joined West Side Institutional Synagogue in 2013. He studied at Yeshivat HaKotel in Jerusalem and then earned a BA from Yeshiva College, where he won the award for Talmudic Excellence. He earned his rabbinic ordination at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, where he was a Maybaum Scholar as well. Prior to recieving his semicha, he interned at Congregation BIAV in Overland Park, Kansas. Rabbi Sherman is also the Co-Director of TorahLetzion, an organization that assists motivated high school students afford a gap-year in Israel. He also spent many summers at Camp Nesher serving as the Head of Staff Beit Medrash Program, chinuch Rebbi, and Assistant Athletic Director.
CANTOR ZEV MULLER
Cantor Zev Müller, our very own "Chazzan Zevi", was raised in a house of Rabbis and Chazzanim. His father, Rabbi Aron Müller, is the Rabbi of the Jewish community in Baden, Switzerland, and his uncle is the famous Cantor Benjamin Müller of Antwerp, Belgium. Chazzan Zevi studied in the renowned Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Israel, and in Beth Medrash Gavoha of Lakewood, New Jersey. Zevi received his BA in Cell Biology & Neuroscience summa cum laude from Rutgers University, and his MA in Biological Sciences from Columbia University. He is currently a graduate student at the Center for Theoretical Neuroscience at Columbia University.
Cantor Müller has studied Chazzanut and voice for many years with acclaimed cantors and opera singers, and has been leading high holiday services since the age of 18. He is a Spinto Tenor with a full range and with variations of color and dynamics. Despite his young age, Cantor Müller is well regarded in the cantorial world and is often invited to perform at concerts, officiate Chuppot and daven as a guest Chazzan around the world. In 2010, Cantor Müller recited the Kel Moleh Rachamim prayer at the UN General Assembly in commemoration of the Holocaust.
Cantor Müller has been the cantor at WSIS since 2007 and has become an integral part of the shul and the community. Though well-versed in traditional Chazzanut, Chazzan Zevi has integrated more contemporary-styled music, which encourages participatory davening and singing. Chazzan Zevi has inspired many with his warm heartfelt services and attracts many locals and visitors to the synagogue.
Besides his role as Cantor, Zevi also lectures and gives shiurim on Gemara, Jewish and Halachic topics for members of the shul and the broader community. He also finds time to teach Chazzanut, Nusach and voice to adults and children. Zevi and his wife, Chaya, live on the Upper West Side.
Davening Schedule
Sunday AM Daf Yomi 7:45 AM
Sunday Shacharis 8:30 AM (followed by shiur and breakfast)
Daily Daf Yomi: 6:45 AM
Daily Shacharis: 7:30 AM
Rosh Chodesh: 7:15 AM
Fast Days: 7:20 AM
Evening Night Beis Medrash: 8:00 PM
M, T, W – Gemara Shiur 8:15-9:00 PM
Evening Daf Yomi: 9:00 PM
Daily Maariv: 10:00 PM
Friday Mincha: 8 minutes after Candle Lighting
Shabbos Morning Shacharis: 9:00 AM
In 2013, we celebrated the 125th anniversary of the founding of the earliest of the Boston Synagogue’s predecessor shuls — Congregation Beth Jacob, founded in 1888. To celebrate this momentous occasion, the Synagogue Board formed an Archival/Historical Committee, which wrote a 260-page history book. It is the most authoritative history ever written about the synagogues of the West End. The book is available for purchase directly from the Synagogue, as well as on Amazon.com.
Much of what we have uncovered is quite fascinating and not widely known. Parts of it are funny — like the story of how some disgruntled Kosher butchers and a rejected suitor poisoned all 2,000 guests at the wedding of a rabbi’s daughter. Fortunately, no one died. We also interviewed former West End resident Leonard Nimoy, who among other things told us that the famous Vulcan salute comes from the priestly blessing that he observed as a teenager at one of our predecessor synagogue’s High Holiday services.
In some ways, the story of Boston Synagogue is the story of Boston generally: substantial growth due to immigration at the turn of the 20th century; followed by a long period of urban decline; then substantial resurgence as downtown Boston has become an increasingly attractive place for people to live. As such, we celebrate not just our synagogue, but also the entire downtown Boston community of which we are a part.
A few years ago, we established guidelines for adding artwork that complements the building’s modern design. We commissioned a new ark curtain designed by Joy Chertow, an art teacher at Solomon Schechter Day School in Newton, MA. The intricate and ornate quilting was done by Elana Schreiber, a science teacher at Schechter. The curtain was donated by Mark Schonfeld in memory of his late wife, Bobbie.
After numerous compliments about our ark curtain, we decided to commission a new wall hanging for our lobby entryway, in memory of our longstanding member Florence Wasserman. The Etz Hayim (tree of life) design with a representation of the city of Jerusalem, also designed by Joy Chertow, was chosen to represent the continuing attachment of generations of Jews worldwide to the land of Israel.
wallhangingAs part of our 125th anniversary, we created a high-resolution scan of the 1909 North Russell Street Mishna Society hand-illuminated cover page, and then created a set of enlargements from this work that now grace the sanctuary. It is a beautiful blend of the traditional and modern!
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.
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
Shacharit Mincha/Maariv
Sunday 8:30 am
Weekday 7:00 am
Friday evening sundown
Shabbos morning 9:15 am
Montefiore Orthodox Synagogue
460 Westford Street
Lowell, MA 01851
(978) 459-9400
B"H Shalom! Montefiore Synagogue (previously known as Montefiore Society Synagogue ), the oldest synagogue in Lowell, Massachusetts was established in 1896. It relocated to Westford Street in 1971, after merging with Anshe Sfard Synagogue in 1969.
Lowell, is a great place for Orthodox Jews! We have a small close-knit Jewish community dedicated to preserving and enhancing Jewish life in the Merrimack Valley region. Lowell, Massachusetts is located off the junction of Routes 3 and 495, and is conveniently located in the high-tech region of Boston Routes 128/95 and 93. Boston is just a 45-minute drive from us and New Hampshire is just 10 minutes north of us. Lowell is home to a minor league baseball team, the Spinners , and hockey team, the Lock Monsters. Lowell has quite a number of cultural and theatrical venues, the Lowell Memorial Auditorium, the Tsongas Arena, and the Merrimack Repertory Theatre to name a few.
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.
Rabbi Gavriel Bellino
A native of Lower Manhattan, Rabbi Bellino grew up attending the Young Israel of Fifth Avenue, and after graduating from Ramaz, studied at Yeshivat Shalavim outside of Yerushalayim before getting his degree in Psychology, Philosophy and Women’s Studies from Brandeis University. He pursued his smicha at RIETS before returning to his childhood community in 2006 to lead the Sixteenth Street Synagogue (formerly the Young Israel of Fifth Avenue).
With the recent joining of the Sixth and Sixteenth Street communities, Rabbi Bellino now presides as the Rabbi of the largest downtown Modern Orthodox community, ready to enter a newly invigorated era of downtown Jewish life.
During his tenure as the spiritual leader of the Sixth and Sixteenth Street communities, Rabbi Bellino has established himself as a compelling and unconventional force in Orthodox Judaism.
He has worked hard to diversify approaches and experiences to make Judaism more accessible to the entire community through programs like his Foundations of Judaism class, his Tanakh Yomi initiative, and his inspiring musical havdallah service.
Rabbi Bellino’s intellectual approach is diverse and ecumenical, integrating classical midrash, early Kabbalah and Hassidut, philosophers such as Levinas and Heidegger, underrepresented Jewish thinkers like Yeshayahu Leibowitz and Avraham ben HaRambam, all alongside traditional commentators like Maimonides and Soloveitchik. His ability to draw from such a wide net and boil down complex ideas into easily digestible points is not often seen in the Orthodox world.
Rabbi Bellino works closely with other local rabbis to maintain the downtown eruv and serves as a part of the Downtown Rabbinical Council – a newly formed committee of community leaders dedicated to the Jewish revival of Lower Manhattan.
You may be able to find him at a nearby underground coffee or beer shop, or possibly at a local boxing gym. He splits his time between Teaneck and Manhattan with his wife Cori and children Choni and Keshet.
Zmanim
Alot Hashachar 5:11a
Earliest Tallit 5:42a
Netz (Sunrise) 6:32a
Latest Shema 9:20a
Zman Tefillah 10:17a
Chatzot (Midday) 12:09p
Mincha Gedola 12:37p
Mincha Ketana 3:25p
Plag HaMincha 4:36p
Shkiah (Sunset) 5:46p
Tzeit Hakochavim 6:27p
Rabbi Yosie Levine joined The Jewish Center's rabbinic team in 2004. He earned a BA in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia College and was awarded the university's William F. Curtis award for outstanding oratory. A Wexner Graduate Fellow, Rabbi Levine received rabbinic ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and was the winner of RIETS' writing prize. He holds an MPA in Public Policy from NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Modern Jewish History at Yeshiva University's Bernard Revel Graduate School. Rabbi Levine served as Rabbinic Intern, Assistant Rabbi and Associate Rabbi at The Jewish Center where he received practical rabbinic training and mentoring from Rabbi Ari Berman. Before joining the Center, he served as the educational director of the Lauder Foundation's Beit Midrash in Berlin, Germany and as the visiting scholar of Congregation Knesseth Israel in Birmingham, Alabama. Rabbi Levine has taken a leadership role on the issue of day school affordability and serves as the chair of Manhattan Day School's Political Advocacy Committee. He is co-chair of the Manhattan Eruv and is active in numerous communal organizations including AIPAC and the Beth Din of America and serves on the Board of UJA-Federation of New York. Rabbi Levine's wife, Rachel, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Manhattan. They are the proud parents of Akiva, Yehoshua, Ari and Judy.
Rabbi Dovid Zirkind, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, joined The Jewish Center clergy in July 2012. After two years of study at Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh in Israel, Dovid continued his education at Yeshiva University. There he received his undergraduate degree in Psychology, graduating from the Yeshiva Program with honors. Upon graduation, Rabbi Zirkind attended the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, studying in the Marcos and Adina Katz Kollel. In 2010, Rabbi Zirkind joined the Yeshiva University Torah MiTzion Beit Midrash of Toronto, where he studied full time in the Beit Midrash and served as Rabbinic Assistant at Shaarei Shomayim Congregation. In that role, Rabbi Zirkind taught classes throughout the Greater Toronto Area, crafted programs and curricula for adults, college students and children alike and trained under a number of the communities leading Rabbis.
In his role as Assistant Rabbi of The Jewish Center, Rabbi Zirkind services the full gamut of our membership. He is the director of our Adult Education program, Jewish Center University, leads our daily minyanim and heads our Young Leadership Minyan and programming. Internally, Rabbi Zirkind teaches a number of ongoing classes and shiurim, including Talmud, Contemporary Ethics and Jewish Law. He believes that passionate Torah Study should be text based, highly engaging and grapple with the major issues of our time. In the broader community, Rabbi Zirkind increasingly represents our shul as well. He is teacher at Manhattan Day School and a frequent lecturer in local institutions including; the JCC, West Side Sefardic Synagogue, Congregation Rodeph Shalom, the RIETS Rabbinic Training Seminar and others. In addition, as a UJA Federation Grant Recipient, Rabbi Zirkind currently leads the inaugural cohort of The Jewish Center Social Action Fellowship (JCSAF). Together with his wife, Ariella, the Zirkind’s lead sought after personalized marriage workshops, which include Chattan & Kallah classes and ongoing Taharat HaMishpacha and fertility counseling for young families.
About Beth Israel
Beth Israel Congregation was started in 1954. Two New Yorkers, purchased two storefronts on the corner of Prairie Avenue and 41st Street (currently where the Miami Beach CVS is) to begin a synagogue primarily for snow birds.
Ten years later after growing out of their storefronts, which had grown into three storefronts, the founders purchased the current location across the street, on the corner of 40th Street and Chase Avenue and began to renovate the original building to be better used as a synagogue. For decades, Beth Israel Congregation was the only Orthodox Congregation in the Miami Beach area. To this day it is the largest Orthodox congregation in Miami Beach.
In January of 2012 Beth Israel Congregation merged with the Young Israel of Miami Beach a unifying factor that speaks to the Achdut of the community. Today Beth Israel has a membership of over 230 families of all ages and different backgrounds.
Our Rabbi, Rabbi Donald Bixon, moved to Miami Beach in 1997, where he was the Young Israel of Miami Beach’s inaugural rabbi. In 2010, he was instrumental in merging the YIMB and Beth Israel Congregation, the oldest Orthodox Synagogue in Miami Beach
Rabbi Bixon’s humor and casual demeanor make him easily approachable and well liked by our congregation and community. After Yeshivat Ohr Yerushalayim in Israel he completed his undergraduate studies at Yeshiva College and Rabbinic ordination at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanon Theological Seminary where he was an Adina and Marcos Katz Kollel Fellow.
Rabbi Bixon has been dedicated to the Miami Beach community’s spiritual and physical growth. He has been active in all aspects of our community and its various institutions. Beth Israel Congregation is fortunate to have him and his wife Aliza, a Stern College Graduate, as our Rabbi and Rebbitzen.
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.
Young Israel: Past, Present and Future
"The aims and purposes of the organization shall be to foster and maintain a program of spiritual, cultural, social and communal activity towards the advancement and perpetuation of traditional Torah-true Judaism; and to instill into American Jewish youth an understanding and appreciation of the high ethical and spiritual values of Judaism and demonstrate the compatibility of the ancient faith of Israel with good Americanism.
The organization shall promote cooperation among the constituent branches now existing and which may hereafter be formed, establish a close bond of kinship to the end that their individual and common problems may more easily be solved, and act as the federated and central body for the Young Israel Movement so that its influence as a force in Jewry may be felt and recognized in America and the world over."
(from the Preamble of the National Council of Young Israel Constitution)
Young Israel was born in 1912, when the primary aspirations of most American-born Jews were economic success and acceptance in American society. Jewish education was very low on their list of priorities, and as a result, was usually rudimentary, at best. Orthodox synagogues were exclusively Yiddish-speaking and permeated by an Eastern European atmosphere. American-raised Jewish youth who wandered into these synagogues typically found themselves shut out completely. It is not surprising that the Jewish youth of that era generally avoided the synagogue, attending only when expected by family custom. Although intermarriage was relatively rare, the distance between young Jewish hearts and minds and Jewish belief and practice was almost huge. It was in this environment that Young Israel was founded by a group of 15 visionary young men and women.
Its first activities were Friday night lectures in English (which was very controversial) on a variety of topics of Jewish interest. Three years later, the group formed a "Model Synagogue" with innovations designed to attract American-raised English-speaking Jewish youth, including participatory singing and youth programs. To enable people of all means to fully participate in synagogue services, Young Israel prohibited the auctioning of synagogue honors. The National Council of Young Israel required the minimum halachic standards of a mechitza, closed parking facilities on Shabbat and Yom Tov, and that each of its synagogues officers be Shomer Shabbat. Young Israel synagogues popped up across North America.
Young Israel envisioned itself as much more than a conglomeration of synagogues. Young Israel was the first on secular college campuses, with over 20 kosher dining halls and intercollegiate programs. Young Israel created an Employment Bureau for Sabbath Observers, in an era when most employees were expected to work 6 days a week. At Young Israel’s headquarters in New York, arms were packed for the Haganah defense forces of the not-yet-born State of Israel. The Free Soviet Jewry Movement was championed by the leadership of Young Israel. Young Israel has always been fiercely Zionistic, and promoted the rights of Jews to live throughout the Land of Israel. Young Israel placed an important role in gaining broad acceptance for advocating for the commuting of Jonathan Pollard’s sentence.
Today the National Council of Young Israel provides professional advice and cost-saving initiatives to 135 Young Israel synagogues (and beyond), advocates for the interests and views of our 25,000 member families, trains aspiring rabbis, supports rabbis in the field with biweekly question and answer sessions, aides communities in rabbinic searches and relations, coordinates informative Gabbai2Gabbai conference calls, provides exciting Parsha Nation curriculum for synagogue youth groups, runs inspiring Achva Summer Teen Experiences, shares best practices through monthly e-publications Shul Solutions and The Practical Pulpit, runs a three division basketball league in the New York metropolitan area, and serves as the sponsor of four senior centers at Young Israel synagogues which feed, educate and recreate the generation that made Young Israel great.
Future plans include providing spiritual inspiration and connection for Young Professionals and training Ashkenazic rabbis how to serve their Sephardic congregants. We are committed to work to maximize the resources of the Jewish community by working with our colleagues at other Jewish organizations and Jewish institutes of higher education and to maintaining a standard of excellence in everything we do.
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, 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.
Rabbi Shaya Gansbourg, OBM, was many things to many people. A husband, a father, a grandfather. A teacher, a mentor, a good friend. A rabbi, a businessman, a world traveler. But most of all, he was a unique, special and exceedingly selfless soul. Genuine, pure, and brimming with life, Shaya was never satisfied with the status quo. He thrived on making the impossible, possible; on reaching the unreachable; on bringing to fruition that which others said could not be done. Shaya was a master of accomplishment, because he was a master of his essence – his soul. He was fully cognizant of his mission on earth as a Jew, a Chassid, a human being par excellence.
For those who knew him, it came as no surprise when Shaya announced — mid-life, when most people his age are thinking about the not-too-distant retirement funds and long-awaited vacations — that he, together with his dear wife Goldie and family, may they be blessed with long and good years, will be embarking on one of the most important and meaningful projects of his life. And thus, in one courageous instance of hope and faith, Chabad of Harlem was born.
As the Founding Father, Shaya spared no effort building Chabad of Harlem, cultivating and nurturing all he encountered. He embraced every human being who walked through the doors with the same love and devotion that he bestowed upon his very own family. Because Chabad of Harlem was his family. And will always continue to be his family.
To know Chabad of Harlem, to be a part of Chabad of Harlem in any way at all – is to know Shaya and to be deeply connected to him. He touched, inspired, and guided. He rejoiced in every happy occasion and wept along in tragedy. He loved his community. And his soul will continue to do so forever, illuminating and brightening every future interaction and experience. His legacy lives on in the proud and beautiful community he built. May his soul be a blessing for all of us.
We are a Modern Orthodox synagogue located in beautiful Newton Centre, Massachusetts, in the greater Boston area.
Our small, energetic shul aspires to provide an inclusive, friendly, and participatory atmosphere conducive to personal growth through tefillah, tzedakah, Torah study, serious religious expression, and building a supportive community of values and meaning.
As our Sages taught us so long ago: The world stands on three things: Torah, Avodah, Ug'milut Chasadim. At Shaarei, we too stand on — and just as importantly, we stand for — these three foundational pillars.
In January of 2014, the Orthodox Union recognized our synagogue as a Hineinu Synagogue, an exemplary national model of communal inclusivity. Our Shul’s inclusivity statement follows:
We are excited to partner with the Hineinu initiative of the Orthodox Union. At Shaarei Tefillah, we pride ourselves on our warm, welcoming Modern Orthodox community. However, we have learned over the years that creating an inclusive environment requires more than good will. A sincere call for inclusivity must be conveyed not only with greetings and invitations, but must be expressed through architecture and access, signage, wordage and programs. The strength of kehillah (community) should be measured not only in membership units and the length of weekly announcements, but also by our manifest inclusivity and our capacity as a halakhic community to learn and improve, to outreach and in-reach, to grow together through full encounter of Torah uMitzvot. When we built our new Shul building just a couple of years ago, a vision of inclusivity drove our process. We designed our Shul to communicate through structure and form that our Beit Kenesset, our home of spiritual ingathering, invites and values the participation of men and women, adults and children, abled and disabled, empty nesters and young families, frum-from-birth and newly religious seekers. We work hard to concretize this message through our programming and publicity as well. Joining the Hineinu initiative is our way of continuing to respond to this Divine call and charge of hakhel, of inclusivity. We sincerely hope that by stepping up to say “Here We Are,” we will inspire other Shuls to do likewise and invite those who have previously felt without community to join us with their own “Hineini — Here I am.”
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.
Our Hebrew School
We create and environment that brings Judaism to life, fosters creativity and supports your child's unique style of learning. We use a unique approach which is hands-on and stimulates your child's intellect. Our curriculum has been designed to make a lasting, positive impact on the life of your child.
Judaism Comes Alive
Through drama, song art and stories we bring Judaism to life. OUr innovative methods make learning fun and memorable. We teach history by showing Jewish history, a method that encourages critical thinking. Through our mitzvah curriculum we emphasize each mivtzah's meaning for everyday life, in addition to the how-to ritual observance. Our hebrew language ensures that your child will be able to read from a Siddur (prayer book) No matter what synagogue your child affiliates with later in life, she or he will share the language of prayer with Jews around the world.
Our Staff
Our Hebrew School prides itself in our staff. Staff members are imbued with a desire to impart their love and knowledge of Judaism to their students. Recognizing that Hebrew School is an academic after-school program in addition to their regular school hours, our teachers endeavor to create an engaging program that keeps the interest of the child.
Educational Philosophy
Yeshiva Academy is founded on the principles of Chabad philosophy, which is a way of life that integrates the love of G‑d, intellectual knowledge and understanding of the Torah, and the appreciation of the uniqueness of every individual of the community.
Our administration and staff implement this philosophy in all areas of Judaic and General Studies while fostering a supportive environment for all our students.
Holistic growth in academic, spiritual, moral and social/emotions domains
Rigorous academics are pursued with a recognition that our students possess a variety of learning styles and abilities.
Students are taught to apply academic lessons from their practical settings to their daily lives.
Respect for each individual unique identity and talents forms the core of enhancing our students’ sense of self.
Ethics and moral values are explicitly taught, modeled, and practiced throughout the daily life of school.
Yeshiva teachers help our students realize that the Judaic and Secular worlds are interconnected.
Faculty strives to inspire and motivate each child to enjoy learning and a accept challenges while stimulating critical thought processes.
By empowering the head, heart, and soul, a Yeshiva education provides our students with knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to be successful and to become members of con
Rabbi Joshua Metzger – Executive Director
Rabbi Asher N. Webb – Kollel Director
Rabbi Levi Shmotkin – Young professionals
Rabbi Noach Heber – IAT Law and Chabad Relief NYC
Rabbi Shmuel Metzger – Upper Midtown Chabad
Mrs. Raizy Metzger – Chabad Preschool
Rabbi Yehuda Rader – Program Director
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Weisz – Assistant Rabbi
509 Fifth Ave Between 42nd and 43rd
New York City
Shachris morning service: Monday-Friday 7:45 A.M.
2nd Shachris Minyan Monday-Thursday 8:45 A.M.
Sundays (and major legal holidays) 9:30 A.M.
Mincha afternoon service: 1:45 P.M. Sunday-Friday (year- round)
Mincha/Maariv service: 4:15/4:30P.M. Sunday-Thursday
Maariv Evening Service: 5:45 p.m. Monday-Thursday
Shabbat Schedule at Chabad of Midtown Manhattan:
For Shabbat candle lighting times click here
Friday Night Service: Kabbalat Shabbat/Arvit 6:00 pm
Dinner: Following service
Shabbat Morning Service: 10:00 am
Kiddush Buffet: 12:30 pm