Midnight Run Drive
Various Dates | During Community House Open Hours | Community House 2nd Floor
Midnight Run coordinates over 1,000 relief missions per year, in which volunteers from churches, synagogues, schools and other civic groups distribute food, clothing, blankets and personal care items to the homeless on the streets of New York City.
Summer Food Donors for Shelter
Mondays-Thursdays and Sundays | Various Times | Frankel Hall (Monday-Tuesday), SPSA Social Hall (Wednesday-Sunday)
Signing up for just one meal can be a huge help, and getting involved is easy. Families, individuals, or groups can get together to prepare a light meal for eight people at BJ, SPSA, at home, or even order in. Email Larissa to learn more.
Occupy the Roof: Summer Social Justice Film Series
Tuesday, August 20 | 6:00-9:00PM | Community House
Sponsored by Panim: Social Action and Social Justice at BJ, this film series will celebrate stories of people that shine a light on justice in a changing world.
Up next: Gender Revolution
Jewish-Muslim Solidarity Fridays
Friday, August 16 | 1:00-2:30PM | Islamic Cultural Center Riverside Drive
Every Friday, Jewish Upper West Siders greet worshipers before and after their Friday prayers to show our support and solidarity. This effort began as a response to the massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand, but has grown to a regular practice of “loving our neighbor as ourselves.”
Call For New Ushers
Fridays and Saturdays | 6:30-8:00PM & 9:30-12:00PM | Sanctuary
BJ members, are you excited about making BJ a warmer and more welcoming place? Join our amazing group of ushers! Greet new members and guests, help prepare the sanctuary for services, and spread the love.
20s & 30s Cookout Shabbat
Friday, August 23 | 8:00PM | Middle Room
Following the Kabbalat Shabbat service, join the Aviv community for an end-of-summer, camp-inspired Shabbat! Meet fellow 20s and 30s for a Shabbat dinner with your favorite cookout foods.
Sponsor a Light Summer Kiddush
Saturdays | Following Shabbat Morning Services | Community House 3rd Floor
A kiddush, the communal gathering that follows Shabbat morning service, is a traditional opportunity to mark joyous events and lifecycle occasions within the community. Sponsoring a light summer kiddush is a wonderful way to show your support, and is considered a tax-deductible donation if coordinated through the BJ office. If you’re interested in contributing to a kiddush in honor of a milestone or in memory of a loved one, please email Julie or call her at x258.
Summer Concert Series—Vortex: Shoko Nagai and Satoshi Takeishi
Thursday, August 29 | 7:00PM | Sanctuary
Spend your summer with the BJ musicians in our first-ever summer concert series. Join us for one or more of these intimate gatherings, exploring the beautiful and diverse music of our very own musicians.
Tot Shabbat
Fridays Monthly, Beginning September 6 | 5:15PM | Sanctuary & Frankel Hall
Families enjoy a kid-friendly Kabbalat Shabbat service filled with singing and dancing, led by Rabbi Erin Glazer, Shira Averbuch, and Michael Witman. After the service, join us for a Shabbat dinner complete with blessings and songs. While adults are finishing their meal, children will have the opportunity to engage in play.
Join us for this year’s first Tot Shabbat as we start to think about the new year approaching! After the service, the Shabbat dinner will also include a special Rosh Hashanah story.
Young Families Mixer
Saturday, September 7 | Following Shabbat Morning Services | Middle Room
Come kick off the fall by getting to know other young families! After family Shabbat morning services, we will eat together and have both structured, and unstructured, time to get to know each other. Toys and books will also be set out for kids to play. We encourage you to sign up by Wednesday, September 4, at 6:00PM, as it helps us plan. Open to all, members and non-members/guests.
Preparing for the High Holy Days: Addiction and Substance Abuse
Sunday, September 8 | 10:00AM-3:15PM | Community House 3rd & 4th Floors
Preparing for the High Holy Days with Addiction and Substance Abuse in Mind
Join us in preparing for the High Holy Days with a community of Jews in recovery. If you are in recovery, have a loved one in recovery, or are questioning whether you may need support, you are not alone! JACS is dedicated to supporting all Jews who’s lives have been impacted by addiction. This program is in partnership with Ruah, BJ’s mental health initiative.
Jew Too? Podcast Series
Various Dates, Beginning September 10 | 7:00PM | Community House
Join BJ and Lab/Shul for a series of live podcast recordings and lively conversations celebrating and exploring the growing diversity of the American Jewish family.
Teen End of Summer Hang
Wednesday, September 11 | 6:00-8:00PM | Community House 4th Floor Conference Room
Come join us for snacks and games to kick off the year. We’ll have food, friends, and then, around 6:45PM, we will head over to the Occupy the Roof screening of Thirteenth.
Mini Mensches
Thursdays, Beginning September 12 | 4:00PM | Community House 4th Floor
Social Emotional Learning through Jewish Stories
The word mensch in yiddish means a person with integrity and honor. In this class, children will learn key Jewish values like how to care for others and to be a peacemaker in the world. These values will be explored through Biblical stories and characters, art projects, drama, and other interactive activities. This class is for children ages 3-5. Caretakers are required to be present (i.e. this is not a drop off class).
Doing Teshuvah
Thursday, September 12 | 7:00-8:30PM | Middle Room
We often think about teshuvah’s common translation, repentance. It is, however, more aptly translated as a spiritual and existential homecoming, as an inner experience of transformation, with the “doing” taking the form of reflecting on, and renewing, personal commitments. But to “do” teshuvah also means to engage in certain concrete actions. What are we meant to do, in an active sense, in the pursuit of teshuvah? What are the outward deeds that the Season of Awe impels us to undertake? Join Rabbi Adina Lewittes for an exploration of how we are meant to conduct ourselves during the month of Elul and the Yamim Nora’im (Days of Awe), and to create a behavioral roadmap toward teshuvah. This event is open to all.
20s & 30s Elul Shabbat Dinner
Friday, September 13 | 8:00-10:00PM | Location TBD
In just a few weeks, we’ll begin the marathon of the Yamim Noraim—the Jewish High Holy Days. Let’s not go into this season of awe with our spiritual muscles unprepared. Following Kabbalat Shabbat services, join Aviv, BJ’s 20s/30s group, for an Elul Shabbat dinner as we begin the process of heshbon hanefesh (an accounting of our souls). Rabbinic Fellow Abi Weber will guide the group toward a mindful approach to the High Holy Days as we enjoy a delicious meal together. This is a great opportunity to get to know the Aviv community as we begin a new year of exciting programming.
Criminal Justice Reform: A Jewish Call to Action
Sunday, September 15 | 8:30AM-4:30PM | UJA-Federation of New York, 130 East 59th Street
Join a concerned cadre of passionate individuals and professionals from major Jewish organizations (including BJ), representing religious streams from Orthodox to Reconstructionist, in tackling today’s civil rights crisis. With a strong legacy of fighting for civil rights, the Jewish community can have an authoritative voice and influence toward mitigating the ongoing disaster of mass incarceration.
Shirah with Shira
Tuesdays, Beginning September 17 | 4:00-4:45PM | Middle Room
Join us for a Hebrew immersion class geared towards children ages 2-5. Shira Averbuch will lead children and their parents/caregivers in music, stories, and movement. Children will gain a sense of community rooted in Jewish tradition while gaining exposure to Israeli culture.
From Selihot to Neilah: Navigating the High Holy Days
Tuesday, September 17 | 6:30PM | Location Given Upon Registration
Join Rabbinic Fellow Margo Hughes-Robinson for a ReGroup session in preparation for the Yamim Nora’im, the Jewish High Holy Days. Ever wondered why we throw breadcrumbs in the Hudson, or get up early for Selihot? Why do we get down on the ground to pray on Rosh Hashanah? This session will provide an overview of High Holy Day services and rituals, as well as an exploration of their deeper spiritual meaning.
Hatanu Lefanekha: Tuning Our Souls for Teshuvah
Wednesdays, September 18, 25, October 2 | 7:00-9:00PM | Rabbi Rachel Cowan Chapel
For the past thousand years, Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews have gathered for the forty days from the beginning of the month of Elul, through Rosh Hashanah, and up to Yom Kippur, rising at dawn to sing Selihot prayers and to prepare the soul for repentance and renewal. Led by Rabbi Roly Matalon and Music Director Dan Nadel, this three-part poetical and musical experience will engage us in that spiritual journey and get us ready for the upcoming days of soul-searching and prayer, the Yamim Nora’im. The series is free of charge and open to all.
Notary Services for BJ Members
Business hours | BJ Community House
Our Human Resources and Administrative Associate, Shakeara Hatchett, is now authorized to provide notary services (for personal or business purposes) to all BJ members. Email Shakeara to set up a notary appointment.
Call For New Ushers
Fridays and Saturdays | 6:30-8:00PM & 9:30-12:00PM | Sanctuary
BJ members, are you excited about making BJ a warmer and more welcoming place? Join our amazing group of ushers! Greet new members and guests, help prepare the sanctuary for services, and spread the love.
Summer Food Donors for Shelter
Mondays-Thursdays and Sundays | Various Times | Frankel Hall (Monday-Tuesday), SPSA Social Hall (Wednesday-Sunday)
Signing up for just one meal can be a huge help, and getting involved is easy. Families, individuals, or groups can get together to prepare a light meal for eight people at BJ, SPSA, at home, or even order in. Email Larissa to learn more.