The Jewish Center - The Modern Orthodox Center for Jewish Life and Learning www.jewishcenter.org • 212-724-2700

The Jewish Center S H A B B A T B U L L E T I N

March 7, 2015 • PARSHAT KI TISA • 16 Adar 5775

SEUDAH SHLISHIT WITH DR. ERICA BROWN

JC COMMUNITY SCHOLAR THE PASCHAL LAMB IN ART AND TEXT

Women's Tehillim Group - Mon., March 9 at 7:15PM. Contact Joyce Weitz for more info at 212-877-1176.

— DAILY SERVICES —

Sun., March 8 Daylight Savings Daf Yomi 7:45AM Shacharit 8:30AM Minchah 6:40PM

Mon., March 9 - Thur., March 12 Shacharit 7/8AM Daf Yomi 7:45AM Minchah 6:40PM

Fri., March 13 Shacharit 7AM/8AM Daf Yomi 7:45AM Candle Lighting: 6:41PM Minchah 6:45PM

Erev Shabbat 5:34PM Candle Lighting 5:40PM Minchah

Shabbat 7:45AM Hashkama Minyan 8:30AM Rabbi Israel Silverstein Mishnayot Class with Rabbi Yosie Levine 9:00AM Shacharit Youth Shabbat 9:14AM Sof Zman Kriat Shema 9:15AM Hashkama Shiur with Rabbi Daniel Fridman, Thirty Days Before Pesach... 9:30AM Young Leadership Minyan (The Max Stern Auditorium) 10:00AM Youth Groups, 2-year-olds, 3-4-year-olds and 5-6-year-olds: Geller Youth Center; 2nd-3rd graders, 4th-6th graders: 7th floor 11:15AM Youth Department Mishnayot Class with Rabbi Daniel Fridman, Pesachim Community Hot Kiddush (5th floor) 12:40PM Early Minchah (The Max and Marion Grill Beit Midrash) JC Teen Kiddush & Dialogue with Dr. Erica Brown (9th floor). For more information, see page 3. Young Leadership Shabbat Lunch with Dr. Erica Brown (The Max Stern Auditorium)

With Thanks to Our Kiddush Sponsors: Hashkama Kiddush, Vivian & Daniel Chill in commemoration of the yahrzeit of Daniel's mother, Chavivah bat Avraham HaCohen Hashkama Kiddush, Arlene & Larry Klein in commemoration of the yahrzeit of Larry's father, Abraham Klein Community Kiddush, Andrew Borodach in celebration of Rachel Wolf's birthday Community Kiddush, Nechi Shudofsky in commemoration of Noam Shudofsky's 10th yahrzeit

3:45PM Bikkur Cholim/Bikkur in the Home (meet at 730 Columbus Ave.) 4:45PM Parent-Child Learning with Rabbi Daniel Fridman (Grades 1-4), Mishkan Madness 4:40PM 39 Melachot with Rabbi Dovid Zirkind 4:40PM Israel Friedman Daf Yomi 5:25PM Minchah, Shabbat afternoon groups Seudah Shlishit Speaker: Dr. Erica Brown, The Paschal Lamb in Art and Text

With Thanks to Our Seudah Shlishit Sponsors: Maureen & Laszlo Marcus in memory of Stephanie Schlesinger

6:35PM Shabbat concludes

Daylight Savings Time

B'CHOL DOR V'DOR: THE CHALLENGE OF ANTI-SEMITISM FROM THE HAGGADAH TO 2015

A CONVERSATION WITH RABBI LORD JONATHAN SACKS

This program is sponsored by Debbie & Elliot Gibber. This event is free and open to the public. Advance registration required. Please visit our website to register.

Wednesday, March 11 at 8:00PM

SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE ISRAELI SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ELYAKIM RUBINSTEIN, FROM YOM HASHOAH TO YOM HAATZMAUT: ISRAEL'S ROLE IN COMBATING GLOBAL ANTI-SEMITISM

Shabbat, April 18 following 9AM services

Supreme Court Justice Elyakim Rubinstein is the Vice-President of the Supreme Court of Israel. He served as the Attorney General of Israel from 1997 to 2004. Rubinstein, a former Israeli diplomat and long-time civil servant, has had an influential role in that country's internal and external affairs, most notably in helping to shape its peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan.

Sponsored by Hanno Mott

BREAKING THE YACHATZ CODE: THE HISTORICAL, POLITICAL AND THEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF

THE SEDER’S MOST EPHEMERAL MOMENT

Shabbat, March 28 following 9:00AM services

SHABBAT HAGADOL DRASHAH BY RABBI YOSIE LEVINE

YOUTH DEPARTMENT CHESED BRUNCH & MISHLOACH MANOT DELIVERIES

Every year The JC Youth Department gathers before Purim to package mishloach manot for senior members of our community. This year we are thrilled that over 20 children took part in this important mitzvah. They created Purim cards, assembled 45 mishloach manot and learned about Purim with Rabbi Daniel Fridman. Many thanks to those who helped out and delivered the packages on Purim which brightened the chag for everyone and brought our generations together.

JC DELEGATION TO AIPAC POLICY CONFERENCE

Michael Bender Norbert Berger

Cantor Chaim David Berson Jonathan Blank

Harriet & George Blank Marly Herscovici & Jeff

Bogursky Rachel Wolf & Andrew

Borodach Ilana Breslau

Lisa & Jacob, Jonathan and Joshua Buksbaum

Susan Canter Michelle Chrein

Susan & Arthur Degen Hindy Poupko Galena

Lauren & Martin Geller Sander & Tracy,

Talia and Estee Gerber Naomi Goldman

Rivkah Goli Sharon and Alexander

Haberman David Hait and Tzvi Hait

Steven Hirsch Virginia Bayer Hirt & Rabbi

Robert Hirt Mindy Horowitz

Sarah & Isaac Jonas Rochelle Tarlowe & Seth Jonas

Ira Kalfus Rona & Ira Kellman

Fran & Jonah Kupietzky Leslie Cohen, Jeffrey

and Jared Lang Eric Lavitsky

Jonathan Lavitsky Michelle Lebowits Marilyn Lefkowitz

Rabbi Yosie Levine Agy & Robert Levine

Darrin Litsky Marleen Litt Susan Lobel

The Low Family Rachel Lurie

Edward Morgan Joel Mowbray

David Pfefferman Daniel Posner Jonah Raskas

Zach Rosenberg Pinchas Rosenthal

Jason Schnier Andrew Schonzeit

Beth & Joshua Schwartz Menashe Shapiro

Dana Siegal Rachel Ringler & Yossie Siegel

Rona Steinerman Adina & Phil Wagman

Bernard Zweig

The Jewish Center is proud to have sent one of the largest synagogue delegations to the AIPAC Policy Conference! Next year AIPAC’S Policy Conference will be from March 20-22 in Washington, DC. Would you like to join The JC delegation next year? If so, please email eliane@jewishcenter.org to reserve your discounted ticket through The Jewish Center.

Moshe Fruchter, David Levine, Avery Neumark, Zachary Rosenberg and Rabbi Dovid Zirkind

WITH THANKS TO THOSE WHO READ MEGILLAH ON PURIM

DAILY (except Shabbat) Israel Friedman Daf Yomi, 7:45AM

MONDAY Building a Jewish Marriage, 8:00PM

Jewish, Gentiles and the History of Pesach with Rabbi Ari Lamm, 8:00PM

TUESDAY Advanced Talmud Chabura with Rabbi Daniel Fridman, 7:45AM

Nosh & Drash with Dr. Adena Berkowitz, 10:15AM

Minhag HaMakom: Exploring Public Policy, Pesach Traditions and The Second Day of Yom Tov Debate with Rabbi Dovid Zirkind, 8:00PM

WEDNESDAY Advanced Talmud Chabura with Rabbi Daniel Fridman, 7:45AM

Women of the Bible with Rabbi Yosie Levine, 11:00AM

Haggadah Shel Pesach with Rabbi Daniel Frid-man, 7:00PM

The Next Level with Rabbi Mark Wildes, 8:00PM

SHABBAT Rabbi Israel Silverstein Mishnayot Class with Rabbi Yosie Levine, 8:30AM

Ramban on the Weekly Parsha with Rabbi Daniel Fridman, 9:15AM

Parent-Child Learning with Rabbi Daniel Frid-man

Youth Department Mishnayot Class with Rabbi Daniel Fridman

Israel Friedman Daf Yomi with JCU Faculty

39 Melachot with Rabbi Dovid Zirkind

JEWISH CENTER UNIVERSITY PRE-PESACH MINI-MESTER

MARCH 9-APRIL 1

Jennifer & Mark Becker and Amanda & Daniel Laifer

THANK YOU TO OUR FAMILY MEGILLAH READING & ICE CREAM PARTY SPONSORS

The Jewish Center and UJA-Federation of New York's Tov B'Yachad joined forces to serve a healthy and festive pre-Purim meal to low-income seniors in our com-munity. Thanks to all those who helped out and attended!

MAZAL TOV Meira & Tobi Tugendhaft on the birth of a granddaughter

Marilyn & Leon Moed on the birth of a great-granddaughter

Maureen & Laszlo Marcus on the birth of a grandson

COMMUNITY ACCOMPLISHMENTS Congratulations to Emma Jonas who sang the National An-them at the Harvard-Columbia Basketball Game THANK YOU TO OUR USHERS Thank you to Mark Segall and Carrie Stieglitz who are our ushers this Shabbat. THANK YOU TO CSS We would like to once again thank CSS and our dedicated CSS members for providing the security for our synagogue this week.

JCU PRE-PESACH MINI-MESTER BEGINS ON MARCH 9 For a complete list of classes please see page 2 or our Pre-Pesach Newsletter.

DEFIANT REQUIEM: VERDI AT TEREZÍN - A CONCERT TO BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY INITIATIVE FOR HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS Monday, March 9 at Avery Fisher Hall, Lin-coln Center, 7:30PM For more information, please contact Michael Vilarello at 12.836.1419

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS PESACH FOOD DRIVE Kosher for Passover donations through March 23, Chometz donations through March 30 Drop off sealed Kosher-for-Passover or chametz items in The JC lobby. Collected food benefits the Kosher Division of City Harvest. For more information contact Eliane at eliane@jewishcenter.org.

A CONVERSATION WITH RABBI LORD JONATHAN SACKS, B'CHOL DOR V'DOR: THE CHALLENGE OF ANTI-SEMITISM FROM THE HAGGADAH TO 2015 Wednesday, March 11 at 8:00PM Until September 2013 he served as Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, having held the position for 22 years. This program is sponsored by Debbie & Elliot Gibber. This event is free and open to the public. Advance registration required. Please visit our website to register.

TOUCH BEIS: GET TO KNOW YOUR SHUL NEIGHBORS, AT HOME Shabbat, March 21 This year on Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Nissan meet your fellow congregants for Shabbat lunch, by hosting or being hosted. This program is the perfect way to connect with new people, network with like-minded pro-fessionals and experience the warmth of a Jewish Center Shabbat with davening at 9:00AM followed by meals around the neighborhood. If you would like to be part of the planning committee for this wonderful community Shabbat, please contact eliane@jewishcenter.org. Details to follow.

PRE-PESACH SHABBAT MEALS Shabbat, March 27 - March 28 Don’t want to prepare meals the Shabbat before Pesach? Let The JC help you! Sign up for lunch at The JC which cost $30 for adults and $18 for children. Visit our website for more information and to register.

SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE: SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ELYAKIM RUBINSTEIN Shabbat, April 18 Supreme Court Justice Elyakim Rubinstein is the Vice President of the Supreme Court of Israel. He will speak on Shabbat morning: From Yom Hashoah to Yom HaAtzmaut: Israel's Role in Combating Global Anti-Semitism and on Shabbat afternoon, The Jordanian Peace Process: A Negotiator's Reflections, Past and Pre-sent. For more information email dzirkind@jewishcenter.org. This program is sponsored by Hanno Mott.

HOW SHOULD OUR FAITH INFORM THE LAWS OF A LIBERAL DEMOCRACY? A CONVERSATION FEATURING PROFESSOR ROBERT GEORGE, PROFESSOR MICHAEL HELFAND AND ISRAELI SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ELYAKIM RUBINSTEIN Monday, April 20 at 8:00PM The Annual Hanno Mott Lecture on Jewish Ethics is dedicated to exploring the intersection of Jewish Law and secular ethics. This year’s lecture will highlight Supreme Court decisions both in America and Israel that directly confront religious values in liberal democracies and what the relationship between these two mo-dalities should be. This event is free and open to the public. Please visit our website to register.

CHILDREN, JOIN US FOR ADON OLAM Children ages 3-6 are encouraged to come up dur-ing the Cantor’s recitation of Kiddush and then sing Adon Olam together.

JC TEEN KIDDUSH & DIALOGUE WITH DR. ERICA BROWN Shabbat, March 7 on the 9th floor Following Youth Shabbat services, teen are invited to a hot kiddush where our teens (8th-12th graders) will have a dialogue with our Community Scholar, Dr. Erica Brown.

YOUTH DEPARTMENT & BIKKUR CHOLIM VISITS Shabbat, March 14, April 18, May 9, and June 13 JC youth grades 5 through 8 will be visiting home-bound and semi-home-bound-seniors. The program will begin with an orientation, followed by visits. RSVP to bethschwartz18@gmail.com.

YOUTH DEPARTMENT’S ISRAEL SHABBAT Shabbat, April 18 All youth groups will spend the Shabbat before Yom Ha’atzmatut engaging in Israel-themed interactive educational programs. For more information contact Yitz at yitz@jewishcenter.org. TEEN MINYAN & HOT KIDDUSH Shabbat, April 18, May 16 and June 6 All Jewish Center teens and their friends are wel-come to join! Following davening, teens will enjoy an amazing Kiddush. Davening led by JC teens with guidance from Rabbi Daniel Fridman. For more in-formation or to volunteer to lead part of the service contact Rabbi Fridman at dfridman@jewishcenter.org. If you would like to sponsor the Kiddush, please contact Yitz Sprung at yitz@jewishcenter.org.

YOUTH DEPARTMENT

Yosie Levine Rabbi

Dovid Zirkind Assistant Rabbi

Chaim David Berson Cantor

Daniel Fridman Resident Scholar

Erica Brown Community Scholar

Rabbi Ari Lamm William Fischman Resident Scholar

Aaron Strum Executive Director

Eliane Glassman Director of

Programming and Communications

Yitzchak Sprung Youth Director

OFFICERS Avi Schwartz President

Andrew Borodach First Vice President

Andrew Kaplan Vice President

Mark Segall Vice President

Rose Lynn Sherr Vice President

Michael Jacobs Assistant

Vice President

Yaron Kinar Treasurer

Len Berman Assistant Treasurer

Miri Lipsky Secretary

Lisa Septimus Yoetzet Halacha 917-382-9008

Chevra Kadisha 212-724-2700

UWS Mikvah 212-579-2011

Hatzalah 212-230-1000

Eruv Status 212-724-2700

Clergy & Staff

Phone Numbers

This is a paid advertisement

Of Palaces and Altars Dr. Erica Brown, Community Scholar

Do buildings matter? In the thick of the parshiyot we read these weeks at the end of Sefer Shemot, we immerse ourselves in the details of the Mishkan: its dimen-sions, the materials used in its construction and the appropriate attire for priests to minister in its pre-cincts. We have few buildings in Tanakh generally: the Tower of Babel, the Tabernacle, King Solo-mon’s house and the Temple are the major exam-ples, with the exception of one: Ahashverosh’s pal-ace. It opens up the book of Esther that we just completed, and it serves as a foil and contrast to the holy portable building we have described at length in our Torah reading. We tend to imagine this building in the German style of a castle with a moat and turrets. More likely it was a labyrinth of halls and a war-rens of rooms that was low, long and winding. Gore Vidal offers an excellent description of a Persian palace in his novel Xerxes that helped me understand what it may have been like for Esther to live within its confines. In contrast to our parsha, which lists build-ing details to help in the construction of holy space, the book of Esther offers the view of a “tourist” new to the palace. The King made a party of 187 days in total, the last seven of which were a gar-den party for the citizens of Shushan. Pay careful attention to the way the palace is described; it’s as if an onlooker stared at it with awe and won-derment:

When these days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king's palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest, who were in the city of Shu-shan. The garden had hangings of white

and blue linen, fastened

with cords of white linen and purple ma-terial to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king's generosity (1:5-8).

You can almost imagine the party gossip: how long did it take to create this magnificence? How much did it all cost? Did you see the detail of each custom-crafted goblet? The text takes us through the visual range of a voyeur to all this opulence. The eyes of the visitor in verse 6 first look upward to the hangings on the ceilings then the walls, travel down the pillars to eye-level tak-ing in the gold and silver couches before moving to the floors inlaid with pricey gemstones. It is pre-cisely the onlooker’s amazement that tells us he or she has no ownership of the space. You can look but then it’s time to go home. The exact opposite is communicated about the Mishkan. It lies at the very heart of each camp, accessible and central to the lives of the ancient Israelites. It was constructed with collective, shared possessions of all. Its holiness was regulat-ed by priests but designed so that anyone can bring a sacrifice to its altars to seek atonement or offer thanksgiving. We weren’t supposed to stare at the building. We were supposed to use it. Sometimes you look at the pages of an architectural magazine, and they communicate great beauty and aesthetic, sensitivity but also a clear message: don’t sit on this couch. This rug is expensive. Keep off. It’s not for you. Our holy spaces have an aesthetic but more than that they hold an invitation. Bring your family, bring your joy, bring your pain. You are welcome here.

OU ADVOCACY-TEACH NYS MISSION TO ALBANY

Tuesday, March 17, 10:00AM - 4:00PM

Join OU Advocacy-Teach NYS in Albany for an important Day of Advocacy for Jewish Day School Affordability. Help us promote the Edu-cation Investment Tax Credit (EITC) bill as well as the Energy Parity Bill, CAP/MSR and NY State's Universal Pre-Kindergarten program.

It's time to head to the Capitol and make a difference for New York’s Yeshivas and Jewish Day Schools.

Just one day in March can have an effect. We will show the NY State Legislature that Jewish education is our top priority and that our com-munity supports critical legislative items.

For more information and to register, email Eliane at eliane@jewishcenter.org.

JEWISH CENTER YOUTH SHABBAT 5775

BRACHOT Daniel Wagman, son of Adina & Philip Wagman, Heschel Day School, 2nd grade

PSUKEI D'ZIMRA

Charlie Laifer, son of Amanda Nussbaum & Daniel Laifer, Manhattan Day School, 2nd grade

SHACHARIT

Andrew Merczynski-Hait, son of Eleanor Merczynski & David Hait

GABBAIM Avi Herman, son of Becca & Dovid Herman, Manhattan Day School

Noah Lang, son of Leslie & Jeffrey Lang, Salanter Akiba Riverdale (SAR), 10th grade

KRIOT HATORAH (IN ORDER)

Avi Solomons, son of Daniel and Rachel Solomons Jonathan Haberman, son of Sharon & Sinclair Haberman

Max Marcus, son of Deborah & Robert Marcus, Westchester Hebrew High School, 10th grade

Nadav Heller, son of Rabbi Avi & Shira Heller Andrew Merczynski -Hait, son of Eleanor Merczynski & David Hait

Harlan Reiss, son of Barbara & Guy Reiss, Heschel High School, 10th grade

GELILAH Daniel Gutkind, son of Limor & Doron Gutkind, Ramaz High School, 11th grade

MUSSAF

Avichai Solomons, son of Rachel & Daniel Solomons, Ramaz, 9th grade

DVAR TORAH IN THE MAIN SANCTUARY SHABBAT MORNING Jessica Brenner, daughter of Adena Berkowitz & Zev Brenner, Salanter Akiba

Riverdale (SAR), 6th grade Shoshana Horowitz, daughter of Mindy & Ami Horowitz, Manhattan Day School,

5th grade

USHERS Emma Jonas, daughter of Rochelle Tarlowe & Seth Jonas,

Heschel Day School, 4th grade Noah Klein, son of Jessica Gross & Lawrence Klein

Benjamin Salomon, son of Sabrina & Guy Salomon, Ramaz School, Kindergarten Hannah Vorchheimer, daughter of Rachel & David Vorchheimer,

Ramaz, 8th grade Daniel Wagman, son of Adina & Philip Wagman, Heschel Day School, 2nd grade Sarah Wagman, daughter of Adina & Philp Wagman, Heschel, 4th grade

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Sarah Wagman, daughter of Adina & Philp Wagman, Heschel, 4th grade

INTRODUCING DR. ERICA BROWN AT THE TEEN KIDDUSH Adina Horowitz, daughter of Mindy & Ami Horowitz,

Manhattan Day School, 8th grade

List as of Wednesday, March 4 at noon. We apologize for any omissions or mistakes. Please send updates and corrections to yitz@jewishcenter.org.