Park A Volume 59 Sivan-Tammuz-Av-Elul 5767 "Old people may find comfort in the Synagogue, but young people need friendship and ideals...wisdom, strength, counsel, and an opportunity to fulfill their dreams. They need laughter, song, good nature, kindly thought, and human understanding." —Park Avenue Synagogue President Jacob Friedman at cornerstone ceremony The New Synagogue of 1927: Blessings, Benefits and Responsibilities See page 16 for article There is nothing wrong with telling your child, “I don’t know” M on this topic). There is nothing wrong with telling your y conservative, European-born parents child, “I don’t know,” and then asking her/him what s/he rarely spoke of death, and when they did, thinks happens. This approach is preferable to trying to offer it was often done with circumspection our child a vision of comfort with which we ourselves are (“When your mother and 1 go away...” uncomfortable. “Go where?” “You know_to New Jersey...”). With that I have found that children respond positively to being background—and much anxiety—I attended my first funeral treated in this fashion and that they greatly appreciate being at the age of sixteen, and, a little over a year later, on my way included and being allowed to make some decisions about to my first interment, I also had my first car whether they want to go to the funeral. When accident. (Full disclosure: I have had two we treat them maturely, they tend to meet, if other accidents, neither of which were my not exceed our expectations. fault). Even children who are too young to My experiences growing up have made comprehend what is going on can be brought me an advocate of teaching children about to funerals. Years later, they will be grateful death when it occurs and of including them that they were in attendance along with their in the funeral. All their questions should be older siblings and cousins. Even if they have answered as calmly and as matter-of-factly as no memory of having been present, knowing possible. Children need to be reassured that that they were included will give them a sense while there is much to be sad about, there is of being an integral part of the family, despite nothing to be scared of. Yes, they may see their age at the time. their parents, grandparents and other relatives There are a variety of books available to grieving and crying—and that may unnerve them—but help adults get over their discomfort with explaining death those tears are a reflection of love and loss, and there is no to children. But there is one book that I recommend that more appropriate reaction in these circumstances; it need not you read to your children or grandchildren: “The Fall of frighten them. Freddie the Leaf (A Story of Life for All Ages)” by the late Leo With proper advance preparation children can and should Buscaglia, Ph.D. It had been out of print for many years, but attend funerals and burials, especially for close relatives. While happily it has been re-issued in a special, 20th anniversary we all have a desire to shield our children and grandchildren, edition. we have to ask ourselves: are we protecting them from our There is a phrase in the last chapter of Proverbs about the concerns and fears, or from theirs? I know first-hand that, in Woman of Valor who “laughs at the last day and cheerfully this regard, being overly-protective of a child at a young age faces whatever may come.” That attitude may be a bit can have detrimental consequences later on. extreme, but a gentle, open and honest talk with our children So, 1 have mapped out with children, in detail, exactly and grandchildren about “the last day” can be the healthiest what they will see and do at a funeral and at the cemetery. I thing for them and for us. have given them some limited options so that they can have some sense of control; I promise them that I will devote time If there is sufficient interest, I would be happy to lead periodic workshops/ to listen to them and to answer their questions at certain discussions for parents and grandparents throughout the next year in which intervals. I instruct their parents to answer honestly questions I would present the approach I have taken in guiding bereaved families to about what happens after we die. (Children have a sixth sense help their children. Please contact my secretary, Naomi Lipnick, about our own discomfort when we try to be disingenuous [email protected], or 212.369.2600, ext. 121, if you are interested in attending a workshop!discussion on this topic. 2 Park Avenue Synagogue Bulletin JUNE 2007 JULY 2007 AUGUST 2007 Sivan/Tammuz 5767 Tammuz/Av 5767 Av/Elul 5767 Friday, June 1 15 Sivan Tuesday, July 3 17 Tammuz Friday, August 3 19 Av Light candles: 8:02 pm Shiva-Asar B’Tammuz Light candles: 7:52 pm 6:15 pm Friday Evening Service Fast of the 17th of Tammuz (see p.6) 6:15pm Friday Evening Service High School Graduation Friday, July 6 20 Tammuz Saturday, August 4 20 Av 7:30 pm Minyan Ma’alot Service Light candles: 8:12 pm Parashat Eikev Saturday, June 2 16 Sivan 6:15 pm Friday Evening Service 9:15 am Sanctuary Service Paras hat Beha’alotcha 730pm Minyan Ma’alot Service 12:30 pm Mincha 9:15 am Sanctuary Service Saturday, July 7 21 Tammuz Friday, August 10 26Av Bar Mitzvah of Michael Silverstone, Parashat Pinchas Light candles: 7:44 pm son of Heidi and Robert Silverstone 9:15 am Sanctuary Service 6:15 pm Friday Evening Service 11:15 am Tot Shabbat 1230pm Mincha 7:30 pm Minyan Ma’alot Service 6:00 pm Mincha Friday, July 13 27 Tammuz Saturday, August 11 27Av Friday, June 8 22 Sivan Light candles: 8:09 pm Parashat Re eh Light candles: 8:07 pm 6:15 pm Friday Evening Service 9:15 am Sanctuary Service Children’s June, July, August 12:30 pm Mincha Birthday Service Saturday, July 14 28 Tammuz 6:15pm Passionate Davening Service Parashat Matot-Masei Tuesday, August 14 50 Av 9:15 am Sanctuary Service Rosh Chodesh Elul Saturday, June 9 25 Sivan 12:30 pm Mincha Parashat Sh’lach Wednesday, August 15 1 Elul 9:15 am Sanctuary Service Monday, July 16 1 Av Rosh Chodesh Elul Bat Mitzvah ofAllie Gorin, Rosh Chodesh Av Friday, August 17 3 Elul daughter of Judy and William Gorin Friday, July 20 5 Av Light candles: 7:34 pm 9:30 am Havurah Service Light candles: 8:05 pm 6:15pm Friday Evening Service 6. 00 pm Mincha 6:15pm Friday Evening Service Saturday, August 18 4 Elul Friday, June 15 29 Sivan Saturday, July 21 6Hz; Parashat Shoftim Light candles: 8:11 pm Parashat Devarim 9:15 am Sanctuary Service 6:15pm Friday Evening Service 9:15 am Sanctuary Service 12:30 pm Mincha Saturday, June 16 50 Sivan 12:30 pm Mincha Friday, August 24 10 Elul Parashat Korach Monday, July 23 8 Av Light candles: 7:24 pm Rosh Chodesh Tammuz 8.00pm Tishah B’Av Service Saturday, August 25 11 Elul 9:15 am Sanctuary Service Bat Mitzvah of Emily Smul, Tuesday, July 24 9 Av Parashat Ki Teitzei daughter of Karen and Spencer Smul Tishah B'Av 9:15 am Sanctuary Service 6.00pm Mincha 7:15 am Tishah B’Av Service (no tallit or t’fillin) 12:30 pm Mincha 5:45pm Service with tallit and t’fillin Sunday, June 17 1 Tammuz Friday, August 31 17 Elul Rosh Chodesh Tammuz Friday, July 27 12 Av Light candles: 7:13 pm Light candles: 7:59 pm 6:15 pm Friday Evening Service Friday, June 22 6 Tammuz 6:15pm Friday Evening Service Light candles: 8:13 pm 6:15pm Friday Evening Service Saturday, July 28 15 Av Parashat Vaetchanan Saturday, June 23 7 Tammuz 9:15 am Sanctuary Service Parashat Chukat 12.30 pm Mincha 9:15 am Sanctuary Service Bar Mitzvah of Luis Serota, son ofYona and Steven Serota Mincha Daily Minyanim Sunday- Thursday at 5:45pm. Friday, June 29 15 Tammuz Monday-Friday at 7:15 am; Saturday Mincha is at 6:00 pm in June Light candles: 8:13 pm Sundays and Legal Holidays at 9:00 am and at 12:50 pm in July and August 6:15pm Friday Evening Service Saturday, June 30 14 Tammuz Rabbi David H. Lincoln and Rabbi Kenneth A. Stern will preach and conduct the services together Parashat Balak with Cantor David Lefkowitz and Cantor Nancy Abramson and the Synagogue Choir, 9:15 am Sanctuary Service with Neil Robinson at the organ. 12:30 Mincha JUNE-JULY-AUGUST 2007 Sivan-Tammuz-Av-Elul 5767 3 MMI Each board member is required to serve on a committee and it is through this vehicle that the main projects of the synagogue are completed I by this Committee, as was our Yom HaAtzmaut celebration. thought it might be interesting to share with you a The Theme Committee had two chairmen during the view of the work the board has completed during the fiscal year. Paul Corwin chaired the portion that dealt with past fiscal year, which closes on June 30. “Prayer and Practice,” culminating in our “Night of Shabbat While the board meetings address major topics, Dinners” where over 30 families hosted more than 260 fellow the primary work of the board is accomplished on the congregants. committee level. Each board member is required to serve Ellen Harrow chairs our 125th Anniversary Year on a committee and it is through this vehicle that the main Committee. To date our celebrations projects of the synagogue are completed. have included a special service honoring our The committees of the board are: long term members, two community seders Membership, P.A.S. Friends of Jewish with the creation of a 125 th anniversary Theological Seminary (JTS), Israel, Religious Haggadah, and as the main event, inscribing Protocol, Gallery, Education, Finance and a 125th anniversary Torah, a project Investment, and the Theme Committee (for spearheaded by David Parker. With Heidi half of the year this committee was “Prayer Silverstone’s assistance, the committee is and Practice” and now it is coordinating working tirelessly to have all Synagogue our 123th Anniversary celebration). This members inscribe a letter in this Torah that committee has two subcommittees: Archives will live on long after we are all gone. and the 125th Anniversary Trip to Israel. An extremely important aspect of our The Membership Committee chaired 125th Anniversary Year is our Endowment Campaign. by Rachael First examines how to make life for members at Our goal is to leave an endowment for generations to come the Synagogue more inclusive and more meaningful. This that will financially secure our synagogue’s future. This is year’s initiatives included activities for our singles population the responsibility of our generation. Under the leadership of and targeted programs for new members and our youngest Howard Rubin, and building on the 1998 campaign chaired members. We greet new members with a welcome letter, a by Alan Levine, we are hoping that every single member of bottle of wine, two challot and candlesticks. We now hold an the Synagogue will contribute to the best of their ability to annual Friday night “Tiny Treasures” Service, where our one- reach our goal of 10 million dollars. year-olds and their families mark this special occasion. The Archives Committee, co-chaired by Laurie Harris The P.A.S. Friends of The Jewish Theological and Marcia Stone, has been responsible for organizing 125 Seminary, co-chaired by Joan Schreiber and Wendy years of institutional memory. They have written and will Slavin, worked throughout the year to foster a meaningful continue to write articles for our bulletin informing us of relationship between our Synagogue and JTS. The group our interesting path. Their work will provide the Gallery organized home study programs taught by JTS faculty, Committee, chaired by Jean Rosensaft, with the foundations arranged for our Seminary Shabbat, and planned our annual for their exhibits on our history. The Gallery Committee fundraiser at JTS. has worked throughout the year to make the P.A.S. gallery an The Israel Committee, a newly-formed committee co¬ important part ol our Synagogue. Exhibits have included our chaired by Doree Greenberg and Katherina Grunfeld, created own art work and our own Torah Treasures. opportunities for us to celebrate our important relationship The 125th Anniversary Trip to Israel subcommittee, with Israel. A series of speakers and films was co-sponsored 4 Park Avenue Synagogue Bulletin chaired by Paul Corwin, is actively engaged in recruiting for and creating an extraordinary event for our congregation—a trip that will take place December 22-January 1. Our goal of 240 participants is already well more than half met. The Religious Protocol committee, under the leadership of Brian Lustbader, spent the year examining how we celebrate B’nai Mitzvah and how we celebrate weddings. Their efforts resulted in creating two new handbooks that families will receive at these important occasions. The Education Committee, chaired by Susan Silverman, continues to work on the task of creating the most meaningful and successful learning environment for our entire congregation—from the youngest child to the most elderly adult. Specifically this year, the committee supported our children’s participation in a national Bible contest and helped to focus our adult education on our two themes of Forging Your Link “Prayer and Practice’’ and the Torah in our lives. The Finance Committee, chaired by Steve Friedman, By Howard Rubin, Endowment Committee Chair has the primary responsibility to create and oversee the budget. This year, institutional systems were finalized to Is the project to fulfill the 613th Commandment and streamline each department’s accountability and assist them in "scribe" a Torah that Park Avenue Synagogue is managing their expenses and revenue. now undertaking a spiritual, religious, and commu¬ The Investment Committee met to review the nal experience? synagogue’s assets and evaluate performance and allocation. Or is it a critical part of the Synagogue’s Endowment These standing committees are augmented by ad hoc Campaign that is seeking to raise the endowment to a level committees created to perform a specific task. These include: that will allow the Synagogue to provide spiritual, religious the Rabbinic Search Committee chaired by Geoffrey and communal experiences for generations to come? Colvin, the Nominating Committee chaired by Marty The answer, of course, is that it is both. They are two Milston, the Clergy Review Committees chaired by parts of one integral project. Everyone should get the Barbara Weinstein and Susan Silverman, and the Gala experience of sitting with our Sofer to write his or her letter Committee chaired by Nadine Habousha Cohen and in the Torah being written to celebrate the Synagogue’s Judy Poss. Other work is accomplished by the Arms of 125th Anniversary. And, equally, everyone should make a the Congregation: Men’s Club, Dennis Karr, President; meaningful contribution to the Endowment Campaign. Sisterhood, Sherry Cohen and Estelle Roth, Co-Presidents; Just as each person will draw different and very personal Women’s Evening Group, Sally Goodgold and Paula meaning from their experience inscribing part of the book Bernstein, Co-Presidents; Young Couples Group, that has guided our people and been the foundation of Jennifer Hoine, President; Bikur Cholim, co-chaired by our religion for thousands of years; each person will need Susan Lincoln and Leah Modlin; Tikkun Olam, chaired by to find their own way of giving that is at a level and in Marlene Muskin and Lite Sabin; Congregational School a manner meaningful to their circumstances. We have Parents’ Association, Rachael First and Susan Edelstein, Dedication Opportunities ranging from $180 to $100,000 co-chairs; and the Early Childhood Center Parents’ so that each person can choose the most appropriate way as Association, chaired by Jaya Nahmiyas and Geri Besca. an individual or family to be part of the Unbroken Chain. Board and Advisory Council members and volunteer Each person can select to dedicate a portion of the Torah — congregants diligently work long hours to accomplish all that a story, a book, a holiday — that is particularly meaningful this productive year reflects. Please join me in thanking them to them in memory of a loved one or in celebration of a for all they do for all of us. milestone. Each of us can participate by Forging Their I look forward to seeing all of you over the summer, be it at Link in the very acts of writing a letter in the Torah and a synagogue we visit on one of our summer field trips, or at a writing a place in the future of our Synagogue. film in our summer film festival or at Shabbat services. JUNE-JULY-AUGUST 2007 5 Sivan-Tammuz-Av-Elul 5767 2 12-15 FROM OUR RABBI SYNAGOGUE FAMILY 3 * B’nei Mitzvah SCHEDULE OF RELIGIOUS SERVICES Michael Silverstone 4-5 FROM OUR CHAIRMAN Allie Gorin Emily Smul * Forging Your Link Luis Serota 7-8 P.A.S. HAPPENINGS * New Members * Summer Synagogue Tours * Condolences Central Synagogue Walking Tour * “The Jewish Family of the Year” Touro Synagogue Bus Trip 16-18 Eldridge Street Synagogue Walking Tour ARCHIVES * The Films Of Summer * The New Synagogue of 1927: * High School Alternative Spring Break Trip Blessings, Benefits and Responsibilities 18-19 * Great Synagogue Read-In NEWS FROM OUR SCHOOLS ARMS PROGRAMS AND EVENTS * Early Childhood Center Applications * Men’s Club * Proud to be Here Year-end Dinner Celebration * Tot Shabbat Midsummer excursion to Coney Island * Summer Birthday Celebration for Brooklyn Cyclones Baseball 20-21 UNBROKEN CHAIN: KAVOD L'VATIKIM * Sisterhood Daytime Book Discussion Group 22 CALENDAR OF EVENTS June 2007 The Yiddish Club 23 CALENDAR OF EVENTS July, August 2007 Visit to the Van Gogh Exhibit * Community Mitzvah Initiative * Support Our Troops Summertime Sing-a-long at the Jewish Home * RA.S. Gallery Exhibition Back Cover a look ahead 10-11 JEWISH LIFE AND LEARNING * 125th Anniversary Israel Trip Unbroken Chain: Shared History, Shared Destiny I’m going! Are you? From the P.A.S. Glossary Fast of the 17th of Tammuz I Tuesday, July 3 Fast of the 17th of Tammuz commemorates the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 C.E., shortly before the destruction of the Second Temple on Tishah BAv. Tradition adds that the 17th of Tammuz is also the date of other tragedies: Moses’ breaking the first tablets, the cessation of the daily sacrifices in the First Temple, and the burning of a Torah scroll and the erection of an idol in the Temple. Tishah B'av I Tuesday, July 24 A fast day commemorating the destruction of the First (586 B. C.E.) and Second (70 C.E.) Temples on the Ninth ofAv. 6 Park Avenue Synagogue Bulletin Summer Synagogue Walking Tours Central Synagogue, NYC, NY I I Tuesday, June 26 6:30 pm I © Completed in 1872, this national and New York City landmark is the oldest synagogue building in continuous use in New York City, accurately and beautifully restored in 2001 after a devastating hre in 1998 that damaged almost all the interior except the ark and the great wall of the bimah. Beautiful interior and exterior details in the Moorish architectural style include many colorful and intricate stencil patterns. The use of star motifs throughout is a remembrance of God’s promise to Abraham that He would make his descendants “as numerous as the stars in heaven.” Touro Synagogue, Newport, Rl I 1 I Sunday, July 29 Bus leaves P.A.S. at 8:00 am and returns by 7:30 pm $ © This oldest synagogue building in the United States, dedicated in 1763, is now a National Historic Site and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1790 George Washington wrote to this congregation that. . . “happily the government of the United States . . . Gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.” The beautiful interior is in classical colonial style, yet has some features of Sephardic synagogues. Twelve columns support the women’s gallery and ceiling, symbolizing the 12 tribes of Israel. The congregation is Orthodox and uses Sephardic liturgy. It holds regular services and conducts Hebrew classes for children of its members. Reservations required. $40/person for the bus. Eldridge Street Synagogue, NYC, NY I Tuesday, August 7 I 6:30 pm I © The Eldridge Street Synagogue, which opened in 1887, is the first great house of worship built on the Lower East Side by Eastern European Jews. It is the most significant remaining marker of the huge Jewish community that flourished in the area from the 1830s to the 1940s. Thousands participated in religious services in the building’s heyday. The diverse membership included notables from every profession, while the Synagogue also functioned as an agency for acculturation. Poor people could come here to be fed, secure a loan, learn about job and housing opportunities, and make arrangements to care for the sick and the dying. As the Jewish population moved and the building aged, it became harder to maintain. In the late 1970s the building was in serious jeopardy, when it came to the attention of preservationists, led by NYU professor Gerard Wolfe. He rallied together a volunteer rescue organization, the Friends of the Eldridge Street Synagogue. By the end of 1987, the Synagogue’s 100th anniversary, the Eldridge Street Project had raised funds to begin the first phase of construction. Work has been proceeding as funds become available and they anticipate completing the Synagogue restoration by October 2007, the 120th anniversary of the building’s opening date. The Eldridge Street Synagogue is now a New York City Landmark, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark. $ © Reservations required for all tours—please call Sarah Gribetz at 212-369-2600, ext. 142 or e-mail at [email protected] to reserve your space. JUNE-JULY-AUGUST 2007 7 Sivan-Tammuz-Av-Elul 5767 Jewish Life and Learning The Rothschild Library High School Alternative Spring Break Trip Presents The By Lisa Samick Movies It was 4:00 am_the city was dark and ten P.A.S. teens and their parents were excitedly waiting of August outside the gates to the synagogue. It was not a Free of Charge dream—we were heading to the airport to begin our American Jewish World Service (AJWS) Alternative Spring Break adventure! The Impossible Spy Many hours later, when we had safely arrived Thursday, August 14 I 7:00 pm in Muchucuxcah (the Mayan village where we would be volunteering and living), we met with The riveting true story of Elie our group leaders and learned about how we Cohen, who infiltrated to the would be spending the next seven days. Our highest levels of the Syrian military, main project was to lay the foundation and clear the land for a building project greatly aiding Israel’s victory in the in the town about 45 minutes away. This site would become a marketplace for 6 Day War. our host families to sell their produce and wares, as well as dormitories for their The Great Dictator children who were attending the local university. We divided into meal groups and headed out to meet our families for the week. Thursday, August 21 1 7:00 pm Days later, we were dirty, sweaty and sleeping in hammocks—but universally it Charlie Chaplin’s satiric and was one of the most incredible experiences any of us had ever had. Interestingly, prescient warning to the world the one aspect of the program that we were most nervous about, turned out to be and to worldwide Jewry regarding one of the richest and most valuable parts of the week. the threat of Nazism. First released Due to a variety of circumstances, our group joined with the group from B’nei in 1940, it was, ironically, his first Jeshurun (the West Side congregation). Both Kerrith, the teen director at BJ, big “talkie.” A must-see movie. and I worried that the weaving of the groups would be a challenge. But, in fact, the opposite happened. Sarah Abramovitz, Harley Dalton, Jeremy Dalton, Eric The Truce Gurevitch, Harold Lander, Jacob Mark, Phoebe Miller, Carolyn Ruvkun, Becky Sills and Sam Silverman, along with the six students from B’nei Jeshurun came Thursday, August 28 ! 7:00 pm together in a really profound way. And by the time we celebrated Shabbat—an The amazing true story of Primo entirely student-run event, our students had negotiated norms and traditions in a Levi’s long, long, long journey back way that escapes many adult groups. It was amazing to see. to Italy after the Holocaust, starring I knew it was a success when on the plane ride home, student after student John Turturro. asked me, “where are we going next year?” Enrich your summer Great Synagogue Read-In with good books, “As a Driven Leaf” by Rabbi Milton Steinberg films, and music! This historical and fascinating novel set in Roman Palestine The Edmond De Rothschild during the age of the Talmud brings to life the sages of Library has a rich collection of the Sanhedrin, arguing and dealing with questions of religion books—novels & non-fiction— and how they should live under the Romans. DVDs, CDs, audio books, and Get a head start on our Read-in selection by buying your children’s literature. Come by to copy of this classic of Jewish literature now and reading it see our collection, available for over the summer. $ 18/copy members to borrow. Check with the office for our summer hours. To buy your copy contact the Adult Education Office at ext 140 or 142 or [email protected] 8 Park Avenue Synagogue Bulletin Men's Club Sisterhood Year-end Dinner Celebration Visit to the Van Gogh Exhibit Tuesday, June 19 I 6:30 pm I $© Monday, June 11 I 1:00 pm “Up on the Roof” of Park Avenue Synagogue. Great food, Join Sisterhood for a guided tour of “Van Gogh and beer, wine. Awards and jokes. Reservations necessary. Expressionism” at the Neue Galerie at Fifth Avenue and $40 per person. 86th Street. This acclaimed exhibit pairs works by Van Gogh with works by German, Austrian, and Russian artists $ © Call Cathy Costello 212 -372-2117 that he influenced. Many of the Van Gogh paintings come from private collections and from the Van Gogh Museum Midsummer Excursion to Coney Island in Amsterdam and have not been displayed in this country for Brooklyn Cyclones Baseball before. Over 80 works of art are on view in the elegant Sunday, July 29 I 5:00 pm I $© setting of an old mansion. All members of P.A.S. are welcome See Brooklyn’s home team play against the Vermont Lake to take this tour. Meet the Sisterhood group in the lobby of Monsters. This date is also Jewish Heritage Night and there the museum at 12:45 pm. will be prizes and give-aways. It will be very exciting and a lot of fun for all! Great seats A Community Mitzvah Initiative at $20 each. Limited number available. Summertime Sing-a-long at the Jewish Home $ © Call to reserve your tickets, Cathy Costello 212-372-2117. Wednesday, June 20 I 11:00 am-12:00 pm $© Sisterhood Location: Jewish Home and Hospital120 West 106th Street Daytime Book Discussion Group Reach out and bring joy to the elderly residents of the Jewish Home and Hospital by helping them celebrate the fun of Monday, June 4 I 11:00 am summertime. All ages are welcome for a festive outdoors Join us in the Rothschild Library for a discussion of sing-a-long (weather permitting). Bring your children, “Intuition,” by Allegra Goodman. This novel has received grandchildren and friends to help bring smiles to the excellent reviews. Coffee and cake will be served. Don’t residents’ faces. hesitate to come and listen even if you have not yet read This event, brought to you by P.A.S.’s newest committee, the book. the Community Mitzvah Initiative (CMI), is co-sponsored by the Bikur Cholim and Tikkun Olam committees and is The Yiddish Club designed to help P.A.S. members reach out to the Jewish Tuesday, June 5 I 1:00 pm community. Ail ages are welcome. Just sign up...show up... The Yiddish Club will meet in the Rothschild Library for and participate! See you there! conversation, word games, poetry, and stories. Coffee and cake will be served. Even if your Yiddish is very rusty, you are $ © Contact Rabbi Lincoln’s secretary at 212-369-2600 if you are interested welcome to join us. We are a warm, friendly group. in finding out more about CMI and/or signing up for the event. P.A.S. Gallery Exhibition How Torah Lives in our Community: Torah Treasures from the P.A.S. Collection Among the extraordinary programs and resources of our Anniversary celebration is the very special exhibition celebrating the meaning of Torah as it lives within P.A.S. The gallery features our synagogue’s exquisite ceremonial art collection of Torah ark fittings, photographs of congregants’ rites of passage at P.A.S. throughout the generations, a fine arts installation on the Bar/ Bat Mitzvah milestone created by students in our congregational school, and a multi-media display of the materials that will be used by Rabbi Moshe Druin to inscribe a new Torah scroll. JUNE-JULY-AUGUST 2007 9 Sivan-Tammuz-Av-Elul 5767 Unbroken Chain: Shared History, Shared Destiny 125th Anniversary Trip to Israel December 22, 2007-January 1, 2008 I $© Here’s what participants said about their 2004 experience... “...one of the highlights for me was seeing my children immersed in the Jewish culture and having a lot of fun with fellow members of P.A.S...and having them say at the end, ‘This week went by really quickly!’” ■—parent. Congregational School students “...hiking in the desert, learning with Israeli specialists, our first glimpse of Jerusalem, bonding while on a scavenger hunt of the Old City....what a wonderful, well organized and meaningful trip...!” —parent, bat mitzvah student “...my most memorable moment was being led by our cantors in the singing of Heiveinu Shalom Aleichem at the bar/bat mitzvah ceremony. That whole morning was the highlight for our family.” —parent, bat mitzvah student “...the trip to the army base stands out in my mind...meeting the young Israelis who connect their lives to the preservation of the State of Israel at great personal sacrifice was particularly moving.” —parent, high school and college students “Walking through the Western Wall tunnels was particularly exciting as I saw ancient history from every angle: above, below and on each side of me. It brought to life a monument steeped in the past.” —college student, age 18 “Playing basketball at the Keshet School with Israeli kids my own age...” —4th grade student Don’t miss out on this chance of a lifetime to join us in Israel this December! Over 140 congregants and their families are already registered. $(£> Contact Sarah Gribetz at 212-369-2600, ext. 142 or [email protected] more information or to sign up now! 10 Park Avenue Synagogue Bulletin