Torah Commentary by Bettijane Eisenpreis: Parashat Beshalach – February 4, 2023

Bettijane Eisenpreis Parashat for February 4, 2023 This Saturday, February 4, at 9:15 AM, Rabbi Dalia Marx, Ph.D., Rabbi Aaron D. Panken Professor of Liturgy and Midrash at HUC-JIR in Jerusalem will lead a special Torah Study session on the topic Tu BiSh’vat: A Growing Holiday. This session will be in-person and on Zoom and …

Our Annual Purim Mitzvah: Mishloach Manot for the Troops

January 18, 2023 You may think it’s too early to prepare for Purim. For our Tikkun Olam volunteers, it’s the perfect time to assemble packages for those serving abroad. Mishloach Manot (sharing sweets) is one of the customs we enjoy the most during Purim. For many years, Tikkun Olam has partnered with JWB Jewish Chaplains …

Tikkun Olam: Stitch’n Time Gives Back

January 3, 2023 Stitch’n Time, Tikkun Olam’s knitting and crocheting outreach program, donated 200 sets of handmade hats and scarves to Educational Alliance’s Knots of Love initiative at the Manny Cantor Center. Knots of Love collects handmade hats and scarves for families who are seeking asylum and currently housed in the Lower East Side during …

Rabbi Andy Kahn on the Mindfulness and Mussar Podcast

Rabbi Andy Kahn joins the Mindfulness and Mussar podcast for a discussion about the meaning of the middah of tzedek (the ethical trait of righteousness); how the story of Noah and the flood helps inform our understanding of tzedek (righteousness); and how tzedek requires “discernment from a place of compassion” — including knowing when not …

A Message from Tikkun Olam President Susan Kaufman to the Thanksgiving Dinner Volunteers

On Wednesday, November 23, 2022, Temple Emanu-El hosted over 130 guests from the Carter Burden Center, The Isaacs Center, Lenox Hill House, Sanctuary for Families and The Children’s Village/Inwood House. November 30, 2022 Thank you to all of the amazing volunteers who gave their time the day before Thanksgiving! I would like to express my …

Tikkun Olam in the News

November 14, 2022 Our Tikkun Olam Volunteers and Project Leaders had a wonderful time assembling over 1500 packages containing over 15,000 items for communities in need on Sunday, November 13. Over 80 community members came together for the first time since the last Mitzvah Day two years ago, and all of them arrived ready to …

Rabbi Davidson’s Response to Thomas L. Friedman’s “The Israel We Knew Is Gone”

Photo Credit: Amit Elkayam for The New York Times November 8, 2022 Originally printed in The New York Times: A Senior U.S. Rabbi: ‘Israel Is More Than Its Government’ To the Editor: Re “The Israel We Knew Is Gone,” by Thomas L. Friedman (column, Nov. 5): Mr. Friedman’s concerns about the potential effect of Benjamin …

Emanu-El Downtown: Celebrating Sukkot

By Dina Mann | Director, Emanu-El Downtown “Cast your bread on the water, and one day it will come back to you.” This dose of biblical study came courtesy of my kids’ new PJ Library book, Nuri and the Whale. The original text is from the book of Kohelet/Ecclesiastes. Kohelet is traditionally read on the …

“The Power of the Tongue: Thoughts on Today’s Rising Antisemitism”

Click the photo above to watch the full sermon on YouTube “The Power of the Tongue: Thoughts on Today’s Rising Antisemitism” Shabbat Sermon by Rabbi Sara Sapadin October 29, 2022 4 Cheshvan 5783 Parashat Noah It has been said that the Jewish people have survived over thousands of years, and through countless eras of oppression …

Torah Commentary by Bettijane Eisenpreis: Parashat Noach – October 29, 2022

October 29, 2022 Temple members can click here for more details on weekly Torah study at Emanu-El and how to register. Congregants are always welcome to send us their Torah commentary. If you would like to contribute, please contact Erica Slutsky to learn more. by Bettijane Eisenpreis And they said, “Come, let us build us a city, …

Tikkun Olam: Mitzvahs On Your Own

Photo Credit: Open Hearts Initiative October 20, 2022 On October 7, 2022, the number of people in Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelters in New York City was reported to be at an all-time record. Since then, the numbers have continued to increase to up to 63,100, while thousands more are living in the city’s …