Upcoming Events
List of events requiring registration
Bim Bam
10 Fridays, January 22-March 26 | 10:45-11:45AM | 88th Street Frankel Hall
Bim Bam is a pre-Shabbat class for children ages 3 and under to sing songs, hear stories, give tzedakah, and engage in fun games and learning activities. We end every class with Shabbat blessings including lighting the candles, kiddush and hamotzi. Registration is now open for our Winter Session.
Cost for class is per family: $100 for members, $150 for non-members. Early Bird Discount (sign up by January 4): $72 for members, $136 for non-members. Scholarships are available for BJ members who are in need of financial assistance. Families who join as new members before January 15 will receive free registration. Please print out the Bim Bam Registration Form and return it to Emily Walsh by fax at 212-496-7600 or mail at 2109 Broadway, Suite 203, New York, NY 10023.
Torah Reading Class for Parents
Thursdays, beginning January 21 | 5:00-6:00PM | BJHS Hebrew School
Have you always wanted to know how to read Torah, but never found a place to learn? We have the class for you! For 8 Thursdays, beginning January 21 join us to learn the ins and outs of troupe and Torah reading with Shira Wallach, Cantorial Intern. Then put your newfound skills to work in Junior Congregation. No previous Torah reading experience necessary, but you must be able to read Hebrew. Register here. Materials fee is $40 and the class is limited to 10 people. 8 Thursdays (January 21 through March 25; no class on 2/18 and 2/25)
BJ Hazorim CSA
BJ is starting its very own CSA! CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It is a partnership between city residents and a local farmer that allows city dwellers to enjoy fresh produce straight from the farm. Free Bird Farm will deliver organic vegetables and eggs to BJ Hazorim CSA members every Tuesday evening from June 1 until October 27 at 88th Street. Registration is open! Don’t miss this opportunity to ensure a summer full of fun, healthy eating. Learn more.
New and Expecting Parents Group
Mondays beginning March 8 | 3:30PM | BJ Office Conference Room
Please join us in a member’s home for a new opportunity for New and Expecting Parents. All those expecting babies in the next 9 months or who have had children in the past year are invited to participate in this group to get to know one another, share ideas on Jewish parenting and begin to build community. The group is led by Sarah Guthartz, social work intern and mom. For more information, please contact Sarah.
Tze'irim Shabbat Dinner- 20s ONLY
Friday, March 19 | Following the 7:00PM service | 88th Street Frankel Hall
Join us for a Tze’irim Shabbat Dinner for 20s ONLY for a fully catered meal and wine in an intimate setting. A great chance to get together with friends, make new ones and start Shabbat together with beautiful z’mirot led by one of BJ’s musicians. Register Here.
Shabbat Teaching: What Freedom and When?
Saturday, March 20 | Following Kiddush after Morning Services | 86th Street Chapel
Join Brent Chaim Spodek, former Marshall T. Meyer Fellow, who currently serves the Rabbi-in-Residence at American Jewish World Service, as he teaches at this time of preparation to celebrate Pesah, the season of our freedom. What type of freedom did we achieve in coming out of Egypt, and when, actually, did we achieve it? This will be an interactive session, looking at classical and modern sources.
Habitat for Humanity Service Opportunity
Sunday, March 21 | 9:00AM-4:30PM | Location given upon R.S.V.P.
Join a group of 20 BJ volunteers for a day of service! Through Habitat for Humanity, we will be working on family condo units in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. Our team will be completing tasks such as painting and flooring installation. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Ariel to R.S.V.P.
Men's Havurah
Saturday, March 27 | 5:00-7:00PM | 88th Street Frankel Hall
This month features a conversation with the leaders of Feminenza about the relationship between gender inequality and human rights abuses in Africa. This program will include schnappsing and socializing.
Shabbat Teaching: Freedom Through Forgiveness
Saturday, March 27 | Following Kiddsuh after Morning Services | 86th Street Chapel
The first step in the journey to forgiveness between the genders is to grow our understanding of each other, beyond what we have come to expect. This is a tough challenge when faced with the burden of history, culture and society’s expectations. How, in the 21st Century, can we come to learn and understand why and how we exist as two genders? Join Mary Noble and Feminenza on Shabbat Hagadol as we prepare for Pesah and how to liberate ourselves through forgiveness.
Morning Service, Siyyum and Se'udat Mitzvah
Monday, March 29 | 7:30AM | 88th Street
Following morning minyan, all are welcome to join in a siyyum, completion of a tractate of rabbinic literature, taught by Len Wasserman, followed by a se’udat mitzvah, a meal accompanying the performance of a mitzvah (here the completion of study). All first born in attendance are then permitted to eat and break the Fast of the Firstborn (Ta’anit Bekhorim).
Community Second Night Pesah Seder
Tuesday, March 30 | 7:30-11:30PM | 88th Street Frankel Hall
For the third year Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein will be leading the Community Second Night Pesah Seder. Seder registration has closed. If you were planning to attend, please contact Naomi.
Cooking for the Second Night Community Pesah Seder
Available shifts are: Sunday, March 28 – 10:00AM-2:00PM; Sunday, March 28 – 2:00-6:00PM; Tuesday, March 30 – 1:00-4:00PM |88th Street Frankel Hall
The Community Second Night Pesah Seder will be on Tuesday, March 30. Volunteers are needed to help with prepping and cooking. We will also need help with clean-up following the Seder. If you’re not making your own, please help to make ours a success. For more information contact Naomi.
My Israel Film Screening and Q&A with Yulie Cohen
Thursday, April 1 | 7:30PM | 88th Street Sanctuary
Join us for a screening of Yulie Cohen’s movie My Israel, an account of remarkable courage and understanding set against the last turbulent decade of Israeli history. In My Israel, Yulie Cohen revisits her critically acclaimed trilogy: My Terrorist (2002), My Land Zion (2004) and My Brother (2007) with a new perspective and additional footage. Reflecting on the work she has done in the last ten years, Yulie suggests looking at all conflicts through the lens of forgiveness; to come to term with who you are is to forgive. $15 at the door.
Finding Forgiveness, Reconciliation and Peace: Exploring “The Seven Pillars of Forgiveness”
Sunday, April 4 | 1:00-6:00PM | 88th Street Sanctuary
Join us for an afternoon of reflection and discussion on the challenges of bringing remedy to a world torn by conflict and misunderstanding. What is the route to peace and greater humanity upon earth? Let us find this path together. Introduction by Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein with special guest speakers, Mary Noble, Yulie Cohen and Reverend Lyndon Harris. Original music and song by Thalia’s Whisper and Ensemble Phoenix. To R.S.V.P. click here. Suggested donation $10.
Shabbat Teaching: A Hidden Child During the Shoah Remembers
Saturday, April 10 | Following Kiddush after Morning Services | 86th Street Chapel
Join us the day before Yom HaShoah, when Myriam Abramowicz will introduce Regina English, a survivor of the Shoah born in Antwerp, Belgium, who was hidden in a convent in Italy by Dominican nuns. Q&A will follow. Regina English is the Executive Director of the National Cancer Center and is the mother of BJ member Shelley English, whose artwork will be on display at 88th street during the Yom HaShoah Commemoration on Sunday, April 11th.
Yom HaShoah Service and Events
Sunday, April 11 | 6:45PM | 88th Street Sanctuary
Join us for our Yom Hashoah Service when we will be reading and hearing of the names of relatives of BJ members who were murdered during the Shoah. Our commemoration service will be followed by a screening of Out Of Europe, in avant-premiere, followed by remarks and Q&A by Richard Lerner, Director and Producer, moderated by Myriam Abramowicz. The all-night vigil of the Reading of the Names will be at the JCC in Manhattan starting at 10:00PM on Sunday, April 11 to 6:00PM on Monday, April 12. The BJ reading slot is at 2:30AM.
A special notice to Shoah survivors, their children and relatives:
Please take a moment to submit the names (and stories) of your family members so we can add them to the list read by BJ members at the Reading of the Names. With so many of the Survivors disappearing and the rise of Holocaust deniers it is vital that the memory of those horrific years be documented and preserved. You may use the Shoah Names form. If you prefer you can email this information to Sarah, fax it to 212-787-8529, or mail to the BJ office.
2nd Grade Families Cooking for the Shelter
Tuesday, April 13| 5:00-6:30PM | 88th Street Frankel Hall
2nd graders and their families are invited to cook for the BJ/SPSA Shelter. Every month, a different grade of students and their families prepare a meal for the guests of the BJ Shelter. Together, we cook, set and decorate the table, and engage in age-appropriate study and discussion about the Jewish value of feeding the hungry. This is a community-wide program; all families of 2nd graders are invited to participate, no matter where your children receive their Jewish education. To R.S.V.P. and sign up for what you’ll bring, please contact Ellen Bender. You must R.S.V.P. to participate.
Men's Havurah
Saturday, April 17 | 3:00-4:00PM | 88th Street Frankel Hall
This month features Andrea Siegel speaking on “”Wrestling with Masculinity in Zionist Thought.” Andrea is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Purchase College SUNY in the Jewish Studies Program. She spent last year in Jerusalem and Istanbul working for the American-Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), and formerly served on the BJ staff as the coordinator of BJ’s 180th Anniversary trip to Israel. This program will include schnappsing and socializing.
BJ Dialogue Series on the Jewish Future: What is Essential?
Saturday, April 17 | 4:30–6:00PM | 88th Street Sanctuary
What questions should we be asking? What issues should we be addressing? How do we respond in a relevant way to the challenges of the future? Join us for a dialogue between Ruth Messinger and Tobi Kahn. Ruth Messinger is President of American Jewish World Service. Tobi Kahn is a painter and sculptor with works in major museums, corporate, and private collections.The dialogue will be followed by Minha at 6:00PM. Contact Sarah for more information.
A Walking Tour of the Lower East Side in Memory of Phyllis Schatsky
Sunday, April 18 | 10:30AM – 12:30PM | Location given with R.S.V.P.
Come explore the streets of the Lower East Side with BJ member Sam Schatsky who lived there for 25 years. Take a trip back to the years of the Depression, immigration and through the present day. Free; suggested $15 contribution to BJ. R.S.V.P. required to Belinda.
Save the Date: Annual Bikkur Holim Teaching
Tuesday, April 27 | 7:00–9:00PM | 88th Street Sanctuary
Please join us as we honor our Bikkur Holim volunteers and gather together as a community with Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg. During this evening of learning, we will explore the many facets and aspects of compassion. What is it? Where does it come from? How does it relate to pain and suffering? How does it function in my life as I grow older, as I support and nurture those who are ill and failing? How is compassion related to power and control, to fixing, to fear and anxiety? How does loss stimulate compassion? What are the obstacles to compassion? Is there a down side to compassion? How is compassion related to joy? How is compassion different from pity? The guest speaker, Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg, is the author of Surprisingly Happy: An Atypical Religious Memoir and is the Director of Outreach and Community Development of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Free; registration not required.
DNA and Neshama
Wednesday, April 28 and May 5 | 6:00-8:00PM | 88th Street Sanctuary
During this two-session class, BJ member Bob Pollack will discuss this quote from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel in the light of modern science: “The greatest problem is not how to continue but how to exalt our existence. The call for a life beyond the grave is presumptuous, if there is no cry for eternal life prior for our descending to the grave. Eternity is not perpetual future but perpetual presence. He has planted in us the seed of eternal life. The world to come is not only a hereafter but also a herenow.” Free, no registration required. For more information contact Naomi.
The Complete Psalms in a New Translation: Book Reading and Discussion with Author Pam Greenberg
Thursday, April 29 | 7:00PM | 88th Street Sanctuary
Join us as we welcome Pamela Greenberg, a poet and translator, and author of The Complete Psalms: The Book of Prayer Songs in a New Translation. Greenberg has received awards in both writing and Jewish Studies, including a Shoolman Fellowship from Hebrew College, where she also received an award in Hebrew Literature. In her new translation, Greenberg approaches the psalms as a poetic and prayerful act, rekindling their relevance to our lives. Praised by Arthur Green as “an act of courage” and with a foreword by Susannah Heschel, this translation will awaken you to new ways of using the psalms in your spiritual life.
6th Grade Retreat
Friday, April 30 – Sunday, May 2 | Camp Ramah Nyack
The highlight of the year is just around the corner! All 6th graders, regardless of where they receive their Jewish education, won’t want to miss this amazing retreat! Students will participate in exciting programs that bring them closer to becoming b’nai mitzvah while building community with each other. Transportation will be provided. All meals are kosher, and include snacks and dinner on Friday through breakfast on Sunday. Cost is $225; register online by April 8. Discount is $175 for those who register by March 22. Please contact Emily Walsh with any questions. Register and learn more!
From "Women of the Wall" to "Savta Bikorta": Active Jewish Feminism in Israel Today
Monday, May 3 | 7:00PM | 88th Street Sanctuary
Join women from the Elga Stulman Women’s Institute of Jewish Studies at Hamidrasha in Israel to talk about how women in Israel today are working to enhance knowledge, raise consciousness and bring about change in their public and private Jewish lives. Free; registration not required.
BJHS Prospective Parent Open Houses
Thursday, April 29 | 4:00-5:00PM | 88th Street
Monday, May 3 | 4:00-5:00PM | 88th Street
Thursday, May 6 | 4:00-5:00PM | 88th Street
Thinking about Jewish Education for your child for the 2010-2011 school year? Join us to learn more about the B’nai Jeshurun Hebrew School! Meet the Director of Education, Ivy Schreiber. Learn about the Hebrew School’s vision and mission. Tour the school and see classes in session. Hear about curricular goals and special programs. Meet other parents considering Hebrew School for their children. Please register for April 29, May 3, or May 6.
BJ Mastermind Group Forming
Attention BJ Entrepreneurs! Are you interested in meeting with other BJ entrepreneurs regularly to get free advice, encouragement, and inspiration for your business goals? We are forming a Mastermind Group for BJ entrepreneurs, facilitated by Pamela Judd. This group is for BJ members only! If interested, please email Les Judd or call (718) 530-5074 by March 26.
We Want to See Your Face Everyday - on Facebook!
Tired of knowing the faces in the crowd but not the names? Want to get to know more BJ members? Then join BJ’s Facebook group here. You can see other members, post pictures and start discussions – all just a click away! We hope this tool will help build community at BJ from online to on-site. Looking forward to seeing you there.