In these tragic and scary times we stand with all those victimized by senseless hatred and fanaticism, at home, in Israel, and abroad. We pray for safety, healing, and peace.
We are grateful to Richard McBee for his enlightening presentation Thursday night on the artistic history of Purim.
2018 Tax Letter: You may have received a tax letter from us this week listing all of your 2018 tax-deductible contributions to the synagogue. If you have any questions about the statement, or feel that some contributions were not listed, please contact us at 212-473-3665, or email us.
CholentFest VI was a great success! We are especially grateful to Eli Szus and Rabbi Bellino for organizing this event. We congratulate the winners: Choni Bellino & his Bros (Eydel Ladle Trophy), David Neuhaus (People’s Choice Award), Aliyah & Jonah Henry Gluckstadt (Best Decoration), and Elie Yudewitz (Best Non-Traditional Cholent). We are thankful for everyone who made the event such a success, including: our many cholent chefs (Choni Bellino and his Bros, Ke$het Bellino, Dr. Jeremy Block, Aliyah & Jonah Henry Gluckstadt, Francesca Macaluso & Gavriel Bellino, Zachary Neugut & Emma Sukenik, David Neuhaus, Fern Penn, Cori Robinson, Jared Rosen & Adeena Chefitz, Efraim & Adam Saltzman, Haim Shechtman, Aliza & Naomi Sternstein, Eli Szus, David Waxman, and Elie Yudewitz ), our judges (Sara Liss, Philip Kamaras, Ashish Thomas, and Becky Miller), and Tali Zilberman and Sarah Kamaras for their assistance. Perhaps most importantly, we thank the 250 tasters that participated in what was our most successful and well-attended CholentFest yet!
Tot Shabbat Next Shabbat: Children and their parents are invited to Tot Shabbat next week, Parshat Tetzaveh, February 16th. Please join us for open play in the Beit Medrash at 10 AM, followed by the formal Tot Shabbat program promptly at 10:45 AM. Parent participation and feedback helps us create a nurturing and educational environment for our youngest members--so join us on February 16th!
Sixth Street Parents Committee: Our Sixth Street parents committee is planning a number of events for our youngest members and the larger community, and we want you to know about them! The Sixth Street Parents Google group is where events are publicized, meetings are called, and babysitters' contacts are shared. If you'd like to be added to the group, please email Jeremy.
Torah Readers: We are looking for men who can prepare to read at Shabbat Mincha (and possibly at Shacharit during the week as well) throughout the year. A schedule of readers is being maintained. If you can commit to any dates, please contact Rabbi Bellino. The next available Mincha leining is on February 16th (the afternoon reading is Ki Tisa). We are also looking for women to prepare aliyot for a Women’s Torah Reading in the near future. Rabbi Bellino is happy to help anyone learn how to prepare a reading.
Please continue to assist our weekday morning Minyan. Consider increasing your commitment to community and synagogue by attending.
Our plentiful and delicious Kiddushes on Sixth Street greatly enhance our synagogue and community. To sponsor or to co-sponsor a Friday night Kiddush, a Shabbat Kiddush, a Shabbocktail, our Shabbat Shabeer supply, or a Seudah Shelishit, contact Rabbi Bellino. The next available Shabbat Kiddush for sponsorship is February 16th, (Shabbat Tetzaveh).
Events
March 20th - Fryre Festival: Megillah Reading & Purim Party
Purim begins on Wednesday night, March 20th. Join us for Megillah Reading (at 7:30 PM) which will immediately be followed by our Purim Party. We look forward to our friends from the University of Purim joining us at approximately 10:00 PM.
March 27th - Annual Shul Dinner - We look forward to our annual fundraising dinner to be held on Wednesday evening, March 27th. This year we will be honoring Annie & Jeremy Watman as well as Glroia Karpas and Brenda Pace. Join us as we celebrate the loyal support of these two power couples and our devoted community. Please RSVP here.
SAVE THE DATES
March 20 - Megillah/Purim Party
March 27 - Annual Dinner
Classes
FOUNDATIONS OF JUDAISM: A sensitive and sophisticated introduction to Judaism, intended for beginners, and focusing on many of the ritual, legal, linguistic, and philosophical basics of our faith. Wednesdays 6:30-8:00 PM.
RABBINIC STORY TELLING: A literary analysis of the stories told by the Rabbis of the Talmud. Wednesdays 8:00-9:00 PM.
SHACHARIT: Miriam Kaplan on Shacharit, the daily morning prayer. Shabbat, following Kiddush.
Downtown Community
We are thrilled to have Shifra Friedman as the Yoetzet Halacha for the downtown community. Yoetzet Shifra is available to answer questions related to Toharat HaMishpacha and may be reached by phone at (646) 598-1080 and by email. Click here to read our recent e-mail about her appointment.
There are several Kosher options in our neighborhood including:
Bagel Boss at 263 First Avenue
Hummus Vish at 59 East 8th Street
Mocha Burger at 496 Laguardia Place
Sushi Tokyo at 121 West 19th Street
Falafix at 96 Stanton
We are proud to be a member synagogue of The Downtown Va'ad, an Orthodox rabbinic network intended to advance the welfare and flourishing of the Downtown community. Check out the Va'ad on Facebook for more information.
Feedback
We encourage your participation and insight. Feedback to Elie Yudewitz, Rabbi Bellino or the Shul Office would be most appreciated. Please contact us with any suggestions and/or concerns, or most importantly, to volunteer. You can also make suggestions here.
We like to have fun and be creative on social media. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram for much much more!
