WRT AT A GLANCE
Scroll down for details about these events and our regular classes
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In Case You Missed it!
Dr. Alvin Rosenfeld on the Real Legacy of Anne Frank
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Friday Evening Services (5:30 pm) - Lab Shabbat
Friday, May 10 at *5:30 pm (in-person at WRT)
Shabbat service features the rituals, melodies and warmth of our congregation. The service includes a sermon or presentation by one of our rabbis, cantors, or special guests. Participate alongside fellow congregants in-person, or join us on any of our live-streaming platforms.
*Please note the 5:30 service time is for our community Shabbat Service including JLL's "Lab Shabbat." Lab Shabbat is an opportunity to welcome Shabbat with a family friendly service designed for families with children in Kindergarten through fifth grade. Each LabShabbat will include participation by a particular Jewish Learning Lab grade's students to showcase their learning.
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Shabbat in the Round, Featuring Professor Joshua Mitts, Columbia University: A Close-Up Perspective on the Crisis on our Campuses
Saturday, May 11 at 9:00 am
Join us on Saturday morning for a special "Shabbat In The Round" experience, including an intergenerational Shabbat service from 9-10 am, followed by a bagel oneg and then special guest speaker, Joshua Mitts.
Joshua Mitts is David J. Greenwald Professor of Law at Columbia University, where has taught since 2017. Professor Mitts serves as faculty advisor to the Law Students Against Antisemitism student group at Columbia Law School, the only student group in recent history to be initially denied funding and recognition by the Columbia Law School Student Senate. In March, he hosted a forum at Columbia on "Israel as a Law-Abiding, Liberal Democracy in Wartime" with former Israeli Supreme Court Justice Danziger, former Israeli Attorney General Mandelblit and other dignitaries in the Israeli legal community. Professor Mitts lives in Scarsdale with his wife, Tamar, and two children, Emily and Liam. They are members of Westchester Reform Temple.
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Programs and Special Events | |
May is Jewish American Heritage Month, a great opportunity to celebrate the important contributions Jewish Americans have made to America since the first group of Jews arrived in New Amsterdam in 1654. | |
Adult Learning: Talmud Shiur (Class)
Led by Rabbi Jonathan Blake
Thursday, May 9 at 10:15 am (on Zoom)
Thursday mornings, eager learners from our WRT community gather with Rabbi Blake to learn Talmud together. This spring, Rabbi Blake will be teaching on subjects related to the spring holiday calendar: Purim, Pesach, and Shavuot.
Class meets for 90 minutes, over Zoom, each Thursday from 10:15 AM to 11:45 AM.
We also record every session, and you can view previous classes here: https://www.youtube.com/rabbiblake
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Spring Chair Yoga Series at WRT
Thursday, May 9 at 2:00 pm
Our fall series was a resounding success, and participants have asked for more! We invite you to come back or try this series to nurture your body and soul. RSVP via email to receptionist@wrtemple.org or call the temple office at 914-723-7727.
Upcoming dates: May 23, 30
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Meditation with Rabbi Baken & Norm Goldstein
Friday, May 10 at 11:00 am (in the CJL Living Room)
Many of us are aware that mindfulness and meditation have become increasingly present in people’s lives as a set of tools to navigate stress, increase calmness and clarity, and to promote joy. We at WRT are excited to be continuing our Meditation Lab, which utilizes Judaism as a context for meditation and explores Jewish meditative techniques. While each of us continues to navigate our emotions and responses to the ongoing crisis in Israel and Gaza, we will also continue to use meditation as a way of creating more space in our hearts and minds.
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Yom Hazikaron Ceremony
Sunday, May 12 at 7:30 pm
Join WRT clergy for Yom Hazikaron this Sunday evening. Location will be shared upon registration.
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Israel Independence Day Concert featuring renowned Israeli musical duo Yonina
Monday, May 13 at 6:30pm (at Beth El Synagogue Center)
We’re excited to be co-sponsoring a Yom Ha’atzmaut program at Beth El Synagogue Center. Come join us as we gather with congregations across Westchester for a short Yom Hazikaron Memorial Service and a concert by the wonderful Israeli musical duo YONINA! Come at 6pm to enjoy Israeli food and festive drinks. Sign up for tickets here: Bethelnr.org/YONINA.
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Evening Book Group - Cantor Isaac Sonett-Assor will be our guest facilitator
Tuesday, May 14 at 7:30 pm (in-person)
Interested in joining the evening book group? This month's book selection for discussion is Time’s Echo: The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance by Jeremy Eichler. Time's Echo is the winner of the National Jewish Book of the Year Award. To RSVP, please contact Lenore Rosenbaum at papoobeads@optonline.net.
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Bereavement Group
Wednesday, May 15 at 12:00 pm (in-person)
These support groups are for those in mourning over a loss, and to help find comfort and process feelings of loss through caring discussion and in sacred Jewish context. Led by Jane Slevin, LMFT (Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist from Westchester Jewish Community Services) and Cantor Laura Stein, LMSW, a social worker specializing in spiritual care.
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Divorce Group
Wednesday, May 15 at 7:00 pm (in-person)
WRT is committed to embracing and supporting people as they live through divorce and single parenting, and find their new family rituals in the face of that change.
Cantor Laura Stein alongside Jane Slevin, LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) from WJCS. Together, they lead our monthly support group.
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Game Night 2024
Thursday, May 16 at 7:00 pm
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Writer's Circle for the Spiritually Curious
Friday, May 17 at 12:00 pm
In Westchester Reform Temple’s first writers’ circle, writers of all levels will explore the power of words as an expression of humanity and spirit. Through freewriting exercises and explorations of select texts from Beatrix Wainwright’s Yiddish Folklore, writers will discover different forms of spiritual writing to unlock their own divine potential. Whether you dream of publication or a deeper understanding of your innermost thoughts, in this six-week course, writers will advance their work in form and substance.
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Thank You To Cantor Rodnizki and Rabbi Baken & Yom Ha’atzmaut Celebration
Friday, May 17 at 6:15 pm
Join us for a special Shabbat expressing gratitude to Cantor Danielle Rodnizki and Rabbi Sasha Baken for their loving and devoted service to WRT. We will also celebrate Yom Ha-Atzma’ut, Israel’s Independence Day. An Israeli-style Oneg will follow services.
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Annual Meeting of the Congregation
Tuesday, May 21 at 7:30 pm
We convene as a sacred community to review the last twelve months and to look to the year ahead. To that end, we will vote on the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2024-2025, vote to ratify a new slate of trustees /officers and to honor three outgoing Board Trustees: Lauren Bender, Josh Block and Allison Friedland.
By clicking the link below, you will find the Report of the Nominating Committee 2024, which identifies the slate of trustees and officers for next year.
Report of the 2024 Nominating Committee
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Celebrate Israel Parade
Sunday, June 2 in New York City
The annual Celebrate Israel Parade in NYC will take place on Sunday June 2, 2024. This year, more than ever, it is so important that Westchester unite in support of Israel. The theme this year is One Nation, One Heart. Stay tuned for more details coming shortly.
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*Important information: Crossway Water Main Replacement Project
Regarding upcoming Crossway Water Main Replacement project, construction is anticipated to begin April 1 on Crossway from Weaver Street to Mamaroneck Road. Construction activity will occur between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., excluding weekends and holidays. During this construction, the Village’s contractor will be replacing the existing water main with a new pipe in segments, with an anticipated project completion date in November. Read more HERE.
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Visit the Early Childhood Center (ECC) | | | |
Visit the Jewish Learning Lab (JLL) | | | |
For WRT members: If you would like to receive notifications of birth announcements and deaths within the WRT community, please email receptionist@wrtemple.org with your full name and email address. Please specify if you would like to be added to one or both of these notification lists.
For more information about Inclusion at WRT, click here.
For more information about Our Jewish World, click here.
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