In This Issue
Hearing Enhancement Devices

Hearing enhancement devices are available during services at the security desk. In addition, there is a Hearing Loop in the Schafler Forum. Please switch hearing aid to T-coil.

Union Field Cemetery

Come visit and learn more about Rodeph Sholom's historic Union Field Cemetery. Discounted fees are available for CRS members. For more information, call our knowledgeable staff at 718-366-3748.

Bereavement Notices 

Click here if you would like to be informed of deaths in our community.
June 2, 2015
Community Engagement
16th Annual Pride Shabbat
A service honoring and celebrating the LGBTQ community of Rodeph Sholom

Enjoy an evening of beautiful music, inspiring liturgy, and shared stories about the past, present, and future of LGBTQ life at Rodeph Sholom. CRS Congregants Val Coleman and Rick Elice will share reflections. 
 
As part of our community celebration, we invite our LGBTQ members and their families* to join us for a festive pre-Oneg Shabbat (Pre-neg) at 5:15PM; a chance to connect, schmooze, and raise a toast to our CRS celebration of Pride Month. 

*Friends and allies are welcome too!

For more information, please contact: [email protected]
Farewell Luncheon for 
Rabbi Rachel Grant Meyer

For the past three years, Rabbi Meyer has taught members of all ages, preached important messages, and worked hard with our Caring Community, Inclusion, and Community Concerns Committees, as well as our Shelter family to enhance the lives of those who are in need of our love and blessing. 
 
Rabbi Meyer's last day will be Saturday, June 6.  In appreciation for all that she has brought to our community, we will thank and pay tribute to Rabbi Meyer at the Shabbat Morning Chapel service, and at a festive lunch following. 

If you know that you will be able to join us for lunch, please let Emily Gallagher know at [email protected]
Lunch Together
Magnificent Decay: The Story of Our Congregational Trip to Cuba


Behind the crumbling facades, the former glory and wealth of Cuba is easy to see. This is an island frozen in time, every part of it touched by revolution and embargo, and yet it is thriving and working toward modernity. Surviving on very little money and without the support of any clergy, the Jewish community of Cuba is small but mighty; a true example of an indomitable spirit.
Take a peek into the history, the struggle and vibrant culture of the island of Cuba, through the eyes of Rodeph Sholom clergy and staff. We will hear from Rabbi Ben Spratt, Cantor Shayna De Lowe and Ruth Bernstein. Read more...

 

To RSVP or for more information, please contact: [email protected] or 646-454-3039

Religious School Open House

Come for a taste of CRS Religious School. Bake challah, eat pizza and ice cream, ask questions and discover what is so exciting and engaging about our community! Meet educators, clergy, and other families.

To RSVP (by JUNE 4TH!) or for more information, please contact: [email protected]

Adult B'nai Mitzvah Service

 
 
Join us as the following congregants are called to the Torah:

Sarah Baker
Cecelia Cooper
Nancy Crown
Peter Ehrenberg
Justin Ferate
Janice Gelfand
Elinor Goldsmith-Greenberg
Molly Gordy
Stefanie Gray
Beth Greenwald
Christina Hurtado-Pierson
Monica Kaiser
Andrea Katz
Marlene Krauss
Judy Landis
Steven Silverberg
Stephen Toder
Zubeida Ullah
An Evening Honoring Jay Kranis


Join us as we celebrate and honor our incredible, giving, caring, committed member, Jay Kranis, for his more than 30 years of service in opening and running the Congregation Rodeph Sholom Shelter. 

There will be a celebratory Oneg following services. 
An Evening with Ambassador Michael Oren
Ally: My Journey Across the 
American-Israeli Divide 


Israel's former ambassador to the United States, current member of Israel's Knesset, and New York Times bestselling author, Michael B. Oren, comes to Congregation Rodeph Sholom to discuss his new book, Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide. A frank, fascinating depiction of the cultural, personal and historical ties that bind Israel and the United States together. Ally is at once a ringside seat to some of the most significant political summits of our time, a compelling memoir, and a timely testament to an alliance that was and will remain vital for Americans, Israelis, and the world. Read more...

 

To RSVP or for more information, please contact: [email protected] or 646-454-3029

CRSCampstagram Summer 2015 

Kids going off to camp this summer?  Let us send them their very own CRSCampstagram!  Your clergy want to be in touch and remind them that their CRS family is thinking about them!  Click here and tell us where we can send a little note of good wishes for a summer of fun!

PJ Library

Sign up and share the fun of reading!

 

Congregation Rodeph Sholom and PJ Library invite you to join in the fun of reading with FREE Jewish children's books and music. Click here to sign up or to receive more information.
Tikkun Olam

CRS Social Action Initiative:

E-Advocacy 

 

June E-Advocacy: Protect LGBTQ Students from Harassment and Bullying - Before students can engage in the learning process, they must feel safe in the school community. However, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer students often experience harassment and bullying in school. Some are so tormented that they commit suicide. Tragically, teachers and administrators are not always supportive of LGBTQ students, nor do they consistently take steps to end discriminatory behavior. The Safe School Improvement Act would require all school districts to have clear anti-bullying and harassment policies, report data on these anti-social behaviors, and provide professional development programs to help faculty and administrators deal with bullying and harassment. As Reform Jews, we believe that all people are created in God's image (Genesis 1:27), and we are instructed to take action to end hateful treatment of others. ("Do not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds" Leviticus 19:16.) Help make schools a safe place for LGBTQ youth. Click here to urge Congress to support the Safe School Improvement Act. 

Backpack Buddies

Every week during the school year, our Backpack Buddies program provides a targeted group of children from the Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center on the Upper West Side with a backpack full of food.  Click here to find out more or to volunteer for various opportunities (stocking shelves, packing backpacks, delivery).
Ongoing Adult Learning and Life
Sisterhood Torah Study
Led by Rabbi Erica Gerson, Rabbi Nadia Gold, Eileen Kleiman, Judy Landis & Rabbi Leora Kaye

Thursday, June 4th from 7:00-8:30PM

Are you comfortable praying? (It's ok if you are not). Do women pray differently men? (No judgment here). What language should I use when I pray? (There's no wrong answer). Is there a right way to pray? (Let's discuss). At this Sisterhood Torah Study we will dig into the tough questions we have about prayer. Looking at examples from as far back as women in the Bible, to medieval housewives, to modern bloggers, we will be inspired by their words and one another. No previous knowledge or experience is necessary, just a willingness to join the discussion! Still being secretive, we will send you the address when you RSVP.

To RSVP or for more information, please contact: [email protected] or call 646-454-3101

How to Raise a Mentsch

The Parenting Discussion Group

Led by Rabbi Spratt, Rabbi Laufer, 

and RSS Parent, Rabbi Erica Gerson

 

Wednesday, June 10th from 8:45-10:00AM

 

Whether you're thinking about how to bring Shabbat (and other Jewish holidays) to life in your home, or what a gratitude practice with your kids might look like, this monthly group offers an opportunity to ask the big, small, practical, and theoretical questions surrounding parenting in an intimate environment.

 

To register or for more information, please contact: [email protected] or 646-454-3029

Mah Jongg
 
Thursday, June 11th from 1:00-4:00PM

Are you ready to play?  Do you want to learn?  Whether you're an expert or a novice, come enjoy a few hours of camaraderie (and the "bridge mix")! Bring your own cards, or purchase them when you arrive.

To RSVP or for more information, please contact: [email protected]

Bereavement Support Group

Led by Ruth Kobrin

 

Tuesday, June 23rd from 7:00-8:00PM

Remaining dates: Tuesdays, June 30; July 7, 14, 21, 28

 

These sessions have been created for those who have suffered the loss of a parent, spouse, or sibling. We invite you to share experiences and to receive interpersonal support, comfort, and guidance.  

 

For more information, please contact:

CRS Walking Group

 

Tuesdays at 9:15AM (weather permitting)

Meet at CRS

 

Come walk with us to stay healthy and fit, make new friends or spend time with old ones.  

 

This group is spearheaded by RSS parents and CRS congregants.  All are welcome!

 

For more information, please contact:
A. J. Jacobs Global Family Reunion

Join congregant and bestselling author A. J. Jacobs at the ultimate family event: The Global Family Reunion. More than 50 speakers, including Henry Louis Gates, David Blaine and Jewish DNA expert Bennett Greenspan will join us. More than 400 activities for all ages. (As seen in The New York Times.) The Global Family Reunion will take place at The New York Hall of Science, on the grounds of the World's Fair. Get a special Rodeph Sholom 25 percent discount here. All proceeds go to battling Alzheimers.
Development

Roll of Remembrance 

 

The Roll of Remembrance is distributed to worshippers on Yom Kippur, acknowledging members' ongoing love for those who have passed away.  The form for you to list your names is included with the High Holy Days information you will receive later this month. Please look for this form and be sure to return it by August 10th, 2015 even if you have no changes from last year. For questions about the Roll of Remembrance, contact the Development Department at 646.454.3052 or [email protected].