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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 »Yom Kippur Contemplative Meditation
All are welcome to join us in the Chapel to rest and rejuvenate on Yom Kippur afternoon, October 5, at 3:45pm, approximately 45 minutes before Minha at 4:30pm. Replenishing body, mind, and spirit through stillness, meditation, and silent introspection has deep resonance on this Day of At-one-ment. How special to be together here in our newly enlivened space. Led by AC members and longtime meditation teachers Sheila and Sheldon Lewis.
Find out more »August 2023
Meditative Kabbalat Shabbat
Please join us for a contemplative service of welcoming Shabbat as we mark Rosh Chodesh Elul and begin the season of introspection and preparation for the Days of Awe - with master meditation teachers Sheila and Sheldon Lewis.
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 »Selichot Program: A City of Migrants: Today and After WWII
Following the Shoah, New York City absorbed more than 140,000 survivors, including some who would become our own family and friends. In the last year, some 90,000 Latin American migrants have poured into New York, with some 50,000 still in temporary shelters. Like the refugees 75 years ago, today's asylum seekers are lodged in hotels and empty offices, verifying Mark Twain's famous observation: "History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes." Journalist Andrew Silverstein wrote a compelling story this month in The Forward…
Find out more »Selichot Service
Please join Rabbi Kalmanofsky and Hazzan Hirschhorn, along with our long-time friends, AC member Mike Cohen on woodwinds and percussionist Ronen Itzik, as we implore God to לשמוע אל הרינה ואל התפילה , “hear our prayer and praise,” and help us ready ourselves for this season of teshuva. Come before the service for our Selichot Program: A City of Migrants - Today and After WWII
Find out more »Reverse Tashlich
Each year during Tashlich, we cast our "sins" into the Hudson River. Join us this year for the "6th Annual Reverse Tashlich," where we will do the opposite and remove debris from the Hudson River Greenway, along Riverside Park -- our own local shore line. Organized by Tikkun HaYam / Repair The Sea, Reverse Tashlich is an international initiative to raise awareness in the Jewish Community about threats facing the ocean and the aquatic environment, and our responsibility as Jews to be…
Find out more »Highlights from the Musical Machzor
Join Hazzan Hirschhorn for an evening of singing some of the greatest melodies from the upcoming High Holiday season and exploring the deeper meaning behind the ancient texts that inspired the music.
Find out more »September 2024
Entering the Gates of the High Holiday Season Through Melodies, with Hazzan Natasha Hirschhorn
Join Hazzan Hirschhorn for an evening of song and reflection, as the month of Elul begins. Let's open our hearts to the music of the season, rich with memories of years past and inspiration for reconnection with God, our community and our truest selves. RSVPs requested, walk-ins welcome.
Find out more »Jewish Daughters Poured Out Their Hearts Yiddish Women’s Prayers for Elul
Ashkenazi women traditionally had limited knowledge of Hebrew and were excluded from formal communal prayer and study. Still, they developed a rich array of texts and customs rooted in their vernacular: Yiddish. Please join us to study women's tkhines, "supplicatory prayers," particularly those for the month of Elul including the practice of measuring graves with wicks to make candles for Yom Kippur Eve. Taught by AC member Prof. Cecile Kuznitz, Bard College. Please enjoy communal Kiddush food, then join us in the Multipurpose…
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