This Week at Emanu-El
Friday, February 10-Friday, February 17, 2023 | 19 Sh’vat-26 Sh’vat, 5783
Highlights
Violins of Hope: Every Violin Has A Story
Sunday through Thursday from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM
For the first time in New York, the Violins of Hope will be on exhibition in our Herbert & Eileen Bernard Museum of Judaica. Each violin is a living testament to those we lost, to the triumph of survival and to the power of music — even in our darkest days.
Muslim-Jewish Interfaith Dialogue
Monday, February 6 from 8:30-9:45 AM | On Zoom
Join Rabbi Davidson and author/interfaith speaker Sabeeha Rehman to explore parallel texts in the Torah and the Koran and learn how much we share in common. To register, please contact Johnny Maldonado at or 212-507-9603.
Emanu-El Downtown: Let’s Play! Mini
Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:15 AM-12:00 PM through May 17
12-18 months by January 1, 2023
A 45-minute class for early learners. Explore the senses, meet new friends and start to use your words.
Hanging by the High Line: What’s in your Bris Kit and Baby-Naming Toolbox?
Monday, February 6 from 7:00-8:30 PM | The High Line Hotel, 180 Tenth Avenue at 20th Street
Curious about brises? Want to make a baby naming meaningful? Join Rabbi Sarah Reines for a pop-up learning session on the sources behind these ritual ceremonies and a discussion about how to bring your own family traditions into the mix while creating new ones. Mocktails and snacks will be served.
Shiru Iti, Sing With Me!
Tuesdays from 10:15-11:00 AM | February 7-May 23 (12 classes)
No classes on February 21, March 21, March 28 and April 4
A full semester of Shiru Iti will start on February 7! Registration is required, $360 for members and $420 for non-members.
Women on the Move: Pam Jenoff
Tuesday, February 7 at 11:30 AM | Livestream
After exploring the agonizing challenges of ordinary women trapped in the nightmare of Nazi Germany in earlier novels, Pam Jenoff returns to that theme with Code Name Sapphire. The novel is the tale of a young woman thwarted in her attempt to escape Europe who becomes caught up with a secret resistance network.
Parade Broadway Cast Discussion
Tuesday, February 7 at 7:30 PM | In-person and livestream
Riveting and gloriously hopeful, Parade reminds us that to love, we must truly see one another. Join The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Cultural Center for a discussion about the can’t-miss theatrical event of the year, with Ben Platt, Micaela Diamond, Alfred Uhry and Michael Arden. The evening will be moderated by Sirius XM’s Jessica Shaw.
Interfaith Dialogue
Wednesday, February 8 at 12:30 PM | On Zoom
Our Interfaith Dialogue group with the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church continues! We look forward to learning with the Reverend Sarah A. Speed and our wonderful friends and neighbors from FAPC once again.
New Member Reception & Orientation
Wednesday, February 8 | Doors open at 5:00 PM, program starts at 5:30 PM
For all members who joined our congregation since June of 2022, we hope you’ll attend a special event at Temple Emanu-El welcoming you to our community. Meet Peter and Mary Kalikow Senior Rabbinic Chair Joshua Davidson, our clergy, members of the Board of Trustees and key lay leaders. You’ll learn all about member programs, volunteer opportunities and get to know more about what it means to be a member of Temple Emanu-El. Refreshments and lite bites will be served.
Worship
All Services are Livestreamed on Experience Emanu-El, Facebook and YouTube
This Shabbat
Friday Night Live: Ibram X. Kendi
6:00 PM | Fifth Avenue Sanctuary and livestream
More Information
Saturday Morning Shabbat Service
10:30 AM | Fifth Avenue Sanctuary and livestream
See the full calendar of worship services
Congregants are always welcome to send us their Torah commentary. If you would like to contribute, please contact Erica Slutsky to learn more.
Daily Sunset Service
Join us for our 30-minute Virtual Daily Sunset Service at 5:30 PM, Sunday to Thursday, online at Experience Emanu-El, Facebook or YouTube.
BECOME A READER IN OUR DAILY SUNSET SERVICE
Our time-honored Daily Sunset Service has offered weekday worship without interruption since 1945. This lay-led service functions under the auspices of the temple Men’s Club and is conducted by members of the congregation. Recently, it has attracted a sizable virtual viewership. Please note that Daily Sunset Services are online only and not in person.
We welcome temple members to become new readers for this service. To learn more, please contact Jonathan Slaff, chairman of the Readers Panel, at .
The Cemeteries of Congregation Emanu-El
SALEM FIELDS and BETH-EL
Individual and family plots are available, along with a limited number of above-ground crypts and niches in our community mausoleum. For more information, please call Mark Heutlinger at the Temple Office, 212-507-9511.
Charles S. Salomon
THE UNIVERSAL FUNERAL CHAPEL
1076 Madison Avenue | 212-753-5300
Our service is available in the temple, home or our chapel.
Dr. Richard Kogan: The Mind and Music of George Gershwin
Wednesday, February 8 | 6:30 PM | In-person and livestream
Dr. Richard Kogan joins us to discuss the life, psyche and music of one of America’s greatest composers during an evening that integrates masterful piano playing, humor and insight into the close links between music, healing and genius.
Friday Night Live with Ibram X. Kendi
Friday, February 10 | 6:00 PM | In-person and livestream
As we commemorate Black History Month, Temple Emanu-El is honored to welcome one of America’s leading voices in the struggle for racial equity and social justice, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. Dr. Kendi is a MacArthur Fellow, National Book Award winner, New York Times #1 bestselling author and founder of the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University.
This program is sponsored by the Tisch family.
Young Families Shabbat
Saturday, February 11 from 9:00-9:30 AM
Join Rabbi Amy Ehrlich and Hadar Orshalimy to share joyful music and meaningful rituals in your growing family’s life. Be sure to invite grandparents and other loved ones to join us! Babies are welcome, too!
Religious School TLC Event: Challah Baking
Sunday, February 12 at 12:15 PM | Wise Hall
Open to all 8th-12th graders! RSVP to Em Besthoff by February 9.
Women of Emanu-El: Coffee With…Violins of Hope
Tuesday, February 14 at 11:15 AM | In-person
$20 per attendee, RSVP no later than Friday, February 10
Warren Klein, Bernard Museum Curator, will discuss the Violins of Hope: Every Violin Has A Story exhibition over coffee and lunch. After that, he will lead a private guided tour of the exhibition. This event is open only to Temple Emanu-El members and their guests.
Women on the Move: Allegra Goodman
Tuesday, February 14 at 11:30 AM | Livestream
Award-winning author Allegra Goodman’s beautiful ode to girlhood, Sam, wrestles with universal questions about believing in oneself and finding a place to belong. The novel is a story about a girl caught between a father she loves who is rarely around, a mother pushing her to plan for a secure future and her own penchant for unconventionality.
The Well with Rabbi Amy Ehrlich
Wednesday, February 15 at 6:00 PM | On Zoom
We look forward to welcoming you to The Well, Temple Emanu-El’s intergenerational women’s study group, created in partnership with our women clergy and members. This program is open to temple members only.
Neal deGrasse Tyson’s Tour of the Universe
Thursday, February 16 at 6:30 PM | In-person and livestream
The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Cultural Center is honored to welcome astrophysicist and Director of the Hayden Planetarium Neil deGrasse Tyson. Dr. Tyson will discuss “The Cosmic Perspective,” the view that sees Earth as a planet in a vast empty universe and profoundly influences what we think and feel about science, culture, politics and life itself.
Young Families: Grandparents Group
Fridays, February 17, March 3, 10 and 17 at 10:15 AM | On Zoom
Together, we’ll explore the many ways to enhance relationships among the generations: grandparents, their adult children and grandchildren. This program is open to temple members and grandparents of member families.
Reproductive Rights Shabbat
Friday, February 17 at 6:00 PM | In-person and livestream
Temple Emanu-El is proud to host Reproductive Rights Shabbat, a program of the NCJW, the National Council of Jewish Women. We will welcome Rabbi Dr. Linda Henry Goodman, who will preach about abortion justice during our service. After the service, she will join Andrea Salwen Kopel, Executive Director of NCJW NY, for a discussion about the critical work of NCJW.
Women of Emanu-El: Canasta Tuesdays
Tuesdays, February 21 and 28 and March 7 and 14 from 11:00 AM-1:00 PM | In-person
We are pleased to have Sharon Steinberg, Certified Instructor of the Canasta League of America (CLA) as our instructor. We welcome all skill levels, open to all temple members and their guests.
Women on the Move: Ann Leary
Tuesday, February 21 at 11:30 AM | Livestream
In her first historical novel, The Foundling, Ann Leary takes us inside the Nettleton State Village for Feebleminded Women of Childbearing Age. There, a drama unfolds between two young women in a tender tale of friendship and loyalty with a nail-biting climax.
Eugene Levy: “The Reluctant Traveler” Screening and Discussion
Tuesday, February 21 at 6:00 PM | In-person and virtual
The discussion will be livestreamed.
Emmy Award winner Eugene Levy joins us for a screening of his new Apple TV+ travel series, “The Reluctant Traveler” and a chat with SiriusXM’s Jessica Shaw about packing his suitcase with trepidation and overcoming some of his long-held fears to open himself up to experiences that lead to a whole new chapter in his life.
Streicker Outreach Center: Text and the City
Tuesday, February 21 at 6:30 PM | 2nd Avenue Deli: Bar & Essen, 1442 First Avenue on the second floor
For 21-39 year olds only
Join us for an extraordinary happy hour, featuring an open bar and lots of food, plus plenty of opportunities to schmooze. You’ll also get the chance to engage in thoughtful conversations led by some of NYC’s young Jewish leaders, including Cantor Sara Anderson. This month’s topic will be all about Judaism and sex, with Dr. Logan Levkoff.
Isabel Wilkerson: Presumed Superiority
Wednesday, February 22 at 6:30 PM | In-person and livestream
In her latest book, Caste, Pulitzer Prize-winner Isabel Wilkerson explores the beliefs that underlie such systems, from divine will to the power of heredity, putting human faces on the power of human rankings. Wilkerson joins us to discuss the enduring potency of such hierarchies of human value, including America’s unacknowledged system of rigid, inherited social stratification and its parallels throughout history and the world.
Men’s Club: Tales from the Diamond with John Sterling
Wednesday, February 22 | In-person
Reception at 6:30 PM, program starts at 7:00 PM
Join the Men’s Club for a home run before the baseball season begins as we welcome John Sterling. Sterling is about to begin his 35th season as the voice of the New York Yankees on WFAN Radio and is the host of the YES Network Yankeeography series.
Community as Family: Virtual Meeting
Thursday, February 23 at 1:30 PM
Temple members of all ages without close family or who may be anticipating aging solo are invited to Community as Family, a cordial group that empowers us in our later years by showing us how to access important resources, think strategically about the future and deepen our personal relationships. Participation is open to temple members only. For more information: .
Women on the Move: Amy Bloom
Tuesday, February 28 at 11:30 AM | Livestream
In Love is a powerful tale about the part of life we shy away from discussing: its ending. Yet in Amy Bloom’s insightful and eloquent hand, and with her trademark wit, this memoir about helping your life partner die with dignity is ultimately a riveting tribute to boundary-defying love.
Violins and Hope: Book Discussion with Daniel Levin
Thursday, March 2 at 6:30 PM | In-person
Violins and Hope: From the Holocaust to Symphony Hall is a photography exhibition and a book by Cleveland, Ohio-based photographer Daniel Levin. Levin was the first photographer to depict Amnon Weinstein’s workshop in Tel Aviv, where he lovingly has repaired dozens of violins that survived the Holocaust. Many of those violins are on view in the Bernard Museum until March 28, 2023.
Friday Night Hub
Friday, March 3 at 8:00 PM | In-person
Open to all young professionals ages 21-39
Experience services and music that will defy your expectations, followed by an Oneg with snacks curated by prominent foodies and signature cocktails. Learn more at FridayNightHub.com.
The Magical Kingdom of Shushan
Sunday, March 5 from 9:30 AM-12:30 PM | Wise Hall | Enter at One East 65th Street
Join Temple Emanu-El for an enchanting holiday Shpiel and Carnival full of heroes and villains, where dreams come to life!
This event is free and open to temple members only, but registration is required.
Jazz for All Ages Purim Festival
Sunday, March 5 from 4:00-6:00 PM | Emanu-El Downtown, 440 West 21st Street
Join us for a Jazz Age Purim Party! Come costumed (you too, adults) and shimmy with some hamantaschen. Get ready to be amazed with an immersive circus where you get to be part of the show. Don’t miss a festive, multi-sensory Purim event that will leave attendees with joyful, upside-down memories to take home.
6 months and younger can join for free. Please purchase a ticket for all adults and children.
Purim Party with Megillah Reading (21+)
Monday, March 6 at 7:30 PM
Get ready for Temple Emanu-El’s annual Purim celebration, featuring a special live performance from The Maccabeats, music by DJ Ann Streichman, a Hamantaschen bar with Shannon Sarna and an in-person and livestreamed reading of the Guinness World Record holder for longest Megillah.
In-person festivities are open to ages 21+ and free for Temple Emanu-El members, $45 for Non-members.
Violins and Hope: Book Discussion with Daniel Levin
Thursday, March 2 at 6:30 PM | In-person
Violins and Hope: From the Holocaust to Symphony Hall is a photography exhibition and a book by Cleveland, Ohio-based photographer Daniel Levin. Levin was the first photographer to depict Amnon Weinstein’s workshop in Tel Aviv, where he lovingly has repaired dozens of violins that survived the Holocaust. Many of those violins are on view in the Bernard Museum until March 28, 2023.
Club One East: Sonia Beker and Violins of Hope
Tuesday, March 7 at 11:00 AM | In-person
Club One East welcomes Sonia Beker, daughter of Max Beker, owner of one of the violins featured in Bernard Museum’s current exhibition, Violins of Hope: Every Violin Has A Story. Sonia is the author of Symphony on Fire: A Story of Music and Spiritual Resistance During the Holocaust, which recounts the remarkable story of her family’s resilience and survival.
Following the presentation, Warren Klein, Bernard Museum Curator, will lead a tour of the exhibition.
Young Families: Baby Shabbat
Friday, March 10 from 9:15-9:45 AM | In-person
Baby Shabbat is a once-a-month, 30-minute program designed for younger siblings of Nursery School children, although all children younger than 18 months are welcome to attend. Enjoy the company of other families as we anticipate Shabbat with music, blessings and a taste of challah.
Spring Mitzvah Day
Sunday, March 12 from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM | In-person
Since 2005, Tikkun Olam has held an annual Fall Mitzvah Day to offer help and support to our neighbors while creating community among our members. This March, we hope you’ll join us for our first-ever Spring Mitzvah Day as we assemble packages that contain essential items for the most vulnerable populations in NYC.
Registration is required and open only to temple members. Please email Tikkun Olam to register.
Shabbat Service with Guest Orly Erez-Likhovski of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC)
Saturday, March 18 at 10:30 AM | In-person and livestream
Temple Emanu-El welcomes Orly Erez-Likhovski, Director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), who will discuss protecting civil and religious liberties in Israel at our Shabbat Morning Service and during a luncheon conversation afterward. The IRAC is dedicated to securing civil rights for a just and egalitarian Israel based on Israeli law and Jewish tradition
Friday Night Live with Kirsten Gillibrand
Friday, March 17 at 6:00 PM | In-person and livestream
With the theme of this year’s Women’s History Month being Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories, Temple Emanu-El is proud to welcome New York’s junior senator to talk about her own tale, about where we’ve been, where we are and where she hopes we will be by America’s 100th Women’s History Month.
Gather Shabbat
Friday, March 24 at 6:00 PM | In-person and livestream
On this Shabbat, we express our gratitude to all who have participated in Gather, Gather Family, and Gather Mingle over the last three years. Every single person who has taken part in these programs has contributed to building these sacred communities here at Emanu-El.
Boker Tov, Baby!
Wednesdays from 10:15-11:00 AM | April 19-May 24 (6 sessions)
Join early childhood specialist and musician Hadar Orshalimy for a lively 45-minute program for children 6 to 24 months and their grownups; each week is filled with music, movement, Jewish holidays, a taste of Hebrew, and free time to make friends and connect with other families.
