As we celebrate Rabbi Roly Matalon's 40 years of leadership, we stand at a sacred threshold. We have launched Sacred Space, Sacred Future—a bold campaign to renew the physical spaces that hold our communal life and to strengthen BJ for generations to come.
Support our campaignHonoring Rabbi Roly Matalon's 40 Years at BJ
Looking Back at 40 Years of Leadership
Roly in Conversation with David Litt
Thursday, April 23 @ 7:00 PM
An evening of reflection, storytelling, and insight with Rabbi Roly Matalon and David Litt, former Obama speechwriter and author of the comedic memoir Thanks, Obama: My Hopey Changey White House Years. In this wide-ranging conversation, Litt will sit down with Roly to look back on four decades of spiritual leadership at BJ—revisiting pivotal moments, bold ideas, and the evolving vision that helped shape this community. They’ll explore how BJ grew into the vibrant spiritual home it is today, the risks and aspirations that animated Roly’s rabbinate, and the relationships and teachings that have left a lasting mark on the community.
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“Rooted in a long tradition of music at the core of spirituality, we are joined at each service by some of the world’s most gifted musicians, elevating our voices and souls, and deepening our connection to prayer.”
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Prayer, Music, & SpiritualityFeatured Events
Yom HaShoah Commemoration and Film Screening: The Last Survivors
Mark Yom HaShoah in sacred community, as we gather for prayer, ritual, and music in ...
All-Night Vigil: Reading of Names
For 27 consecutive years, the Upper West Side community has gathered to read the names ...
Ma Ahavti Toratekha: Torah in Rabbi Roly Matalon’s Honor with Rabbis Joy Levitt and Michael ...
This week in our seven-week series honoring Rabbi Roly Matalon’s 40 years of leadership, we ...
We Are the Day After: 21st Israeli-Palestinian Joint Memorial Ceremony
Experience a powerful in-person screening of this global ceremony, featuring testimonies from bereaved Israeli and ...
Ma Ahavti Toratekha: Torah in Rabbi Roly Matalon’s Honor with Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein
This week in our seven-week series honoring Rabbi Roly Matalon’s 40 years of leadership, we ...
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BJ’s relationship with Israel is grounded in our deepest commitments as Jews: our responsibility for one another, our sacred connection to our ancestral homeland, and our obligation to uphold the dignity of every human being.
We’ve recently updated our Israel Engagement page. There, you’ll find the teachings that guide us, along with four areas of focus that shape our programmatic approach and will continue to do so.
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B’nai Jeshurun is a 200-year-old non-affiliated synagogue located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. We welcome all, no matter the path traveled.
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"Roly sent me his annual selfie with my son at Camp Ramah, with two of the biggest smiles you ever saw. I feel so grateful for their special bond."Paula Kramer Weiss, Board Member
Voices from our Community
Why We Are Still Commanded to Tell the Story
While the crocuses and daffodils in the park are telling…
What Kind of People Does Pesah Call Us to Be?
This year we approach Pesah at a time of war…
The Haftarah Project: Shabbat HaGadol—Great Deeds in Unsettled Times
BJ member Ruth Jarmul reflects on the haftarah for Shabbat…
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