West Side Jewish Center

ק"ק בית ישראל

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Click to join our mailing list	Special Programs Shabbat Meals at WSJC Every Shabbat — Friday Night and Saturday Day The West Side Jewish Center is glad to host Shabbat meals each week in conjunction with Centre Culturel Juif Français & Francophone de New York, the New York French & Francophone Jewish Cultural Center. Not just for French and French-speaking Jews — all Jewish locals and visitors, of any background, are welcome! For more information about CCF and their Shabbat meals and programming at WSJC, or to make a reservation for a meal, see the CCF Website.


	Programs for Children Tot Shabbat Next Tot Shabbat: not yet scheduled BEGINNING RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING Join us at our new monthly program for pre-schoolers and their parents. The first shabbat of every month, kids will engage in a fun and enriching Shabbat service complete with a mini-kiddush. A family-oriented kiddush will follow services.

	Weekly Programs Jewish Basics Tuesday evenings at 7:00 PM (starting again Dec. 15, 2009, and continuing through Feb. 9, 2010) Do you know your Jewish Basics? Let’s look at these 10 basic questions and find out... What are the five books in the Torah? Who are the three patriarchs and four matriarchs in the Torah? What are the names of the twelve months in the Hebrew calendar? What other three species are waved with a lulav on the holiday of Sukkot? Who was the first Jewish king and who anointed him? What is the current year in the Jewish calendar? What are the names of the Jacob’s twelve sons? Who was the primary disciple of Moses? Who was the author of the “Shulchan Aruch”? On what holiday is the annual public reading of the Torah completed? If you can’t answer all of the above questions, this class is for you!

	Weekly and Daily Classes Whatever, Whenever — There's Always Something to Learn! Jewish Prayer (Weekdays at 1:30 PM) The siddur or prayer book is, perhaps, the most well-read book in Jewish life. It contains the hopes of the Jewish People and the vision of Judaism through the ages. One may find within its pages the history of the Jewish People and the essence of the Jewish spirit. It is poetry, narrative and philosophy all together. Come and sit with us as we explore the infinite wisdom found in the Siddur. Tale of Two Kings (Sundays at 10:00 AM) Prophets and kings, love and war — the Book of Samuel (Shemuel) gives us a window into one of the most exciting periods of Jewish history. Come and learn about the successes, failures and struggles of some of the greatest heroes of the Jewish people, and see why the life story of King David is so compelling that 3000 years after his death we still say David Melech Yisrael Chai Vekayam — David, King of Israel, still lives. Advanced Topics in Kashrut (Mondays at 7:00 PM) The observance of Kosher dietary laws is one of the most defining features of living a Jewish life. In this class we will take a detailed look at this important, fascinating and always-practical subject. Torah Umesorah's Lectures for Women (Wednesdays at 10:30 AM) The West Side Jewish Center is proud to host this series of lectures on Torah subjects for women, featuring a variety of great rabbis, speakers and teachers. For more information, call Torah Umesorah at 718-234-5846. Current Events (Saturdays at 8:45 AM) Every Shabbat before Shacharit, join us as we look at the newspaper through a Jewish lens and apply the lessons of the Torah and the insights of that week's parsha to the events that shape our world. Fundamentals of Faith (Seudah Shelishit) A look at the basic principles of Judaism, as formulated by Rambam (Maimonides).

	Crash Course in Hebrew Reading EVERY YEAR STARTING IN NOVEMBER Read Hebrew America 2009 — Learn to read Hebrew in only Five Tuesdays! LEVEL ONE: November 3, 10, 17, 24; December 1 — each evening at 7 PM This is the remarkable course developed by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, founder and director of the National Jewish Outreach Program. In only five 1-1/2 hour weekly sessions, you will learn to read Hebrew, and receive a free copy of NJOP's Reishith Binah Hebrew primer. A follow-up course to the Hebrew Reading Crash Course, the Level II class is offered to those who can recognize the Hebrew alphabet and would like to improve their Hebrew reading and comprehension skills in only five 1-1/2 hour weekly sessions. Learn to read Hebrew -- the language of our people! Learn how to follow synagogue services, to be more involved in your children's Jewish education, or simply to enhance your own ties to Judaism.

	Pirkei Avot *Shabbat afternoons after Mincha* during the Summer (see our weekly Shabbat schedule for Mincha time) Pirkei Avot (Chapters of the Fathers - פרקי אבות*) is a tractate of the Mishnah composed of ethical maxims of the Rabbis of the Mishnaic period. The tractate consists of five chapters. The first four chapters contain sayings attributed to sages from Simon the Just (3rd century B.C.E.) to Judah haNasi (3rd century C.E.), redactor of the Mishnah. These aphorisms concern proper ethical and social conduct, as well as the importance of Torah study. The fifth chapter of Avot departs from the organization and content of the preceding four in that it consists mostly of anonymous sayings structured around numerical lists, several of which have no direct connection with ethics. The last four paragraphs return to the format of moral aphorisms attributed to specific rabbis. From at least the time of Saadia Gaon (10th century C.E.), it has been customary to study one chapter a week on each of the seven Sabbaths between Passover and Shavuot, or nowadays until Rosh Hashana. In the course of such study, it is common to preface each chapter with the Mishnaic saying, "All Israel has a share in the world to come" (Sanhedrin 10:1), and to conclude each chapter with the saying, "The Holy One, blessed be He, wished to bestow merit upon Israel; therefore he gave them Torah and mitzvot in abundance" (Makkoth 3:16). The tractate includes several of the most frequently-quoted rabbinic sayings, such as "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am [only] for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" (Avot 1:15), and "It is not up to you to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it" (Avoth 2:19). (From Wikipedia.) Join our lively, informal group study on Saturday afternoons while enjoying Seudah Shlishit* (the third Shabbat meal) between Mincha and Maariv!

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Monthly Programs

Jewish Book Club
One Monday evening each month

Join our lively discussion group beginning at 7:00 and lasting about 1 1/2 hours. Light refreshments are served.

Here is our current schedule:

	January 11, 2010 Walking the Bible by Bruce Feiler
	February 22, 2010 Aleppo Tales by Haim Sabato

Rabbi Herman's Monthly Lecture
One Thursday a month, starting with dinner available at 7pm

Eat dinner, learn Torah! Once a month, Rabbi Herman gives a lecture on a Torah topic, connecting the timeless wisdom of our tradition to an issue of contemporary interest.

Upcoming Lectures:

March 11th — Genetically Engineered Food
April 22nd — Special Guest: Rabbi David Kalb on “Angels in America”
May 13th — Minyan on an Airplane