MAZAL TOV Rabbi Noach & Alexis Goldstein on the birth of a baby boy

Daniel Solomons on receiving the Charles & Els Bendheim Distinguished Service Award at the MDS Annual Dinner

THANK YOU TO OUR USHERS

Naomi Goldman and Daniel Solomons Gavriel Harmetz, Livia Schilowitz, Jonathan Symonds and Sarah Wagman

Thank you to our CSS members whose efforts help maintain a safe shul for our

community.

The Jewish Center - The Modern Orthodox Center for Jewish Life and Learning 131 W. 86th Street, New York, NY 10024 • www.jewishcenter.org • 212-724-2700

MARCH 2, 2019 • 25 ADAR I 5779 • PARSHAT VAYAKHEL• SHABBAT SHEKALIM

The Jewish Center SHABBAT BULLETIN

WOMEN’S TEHILLIM GROUP: Monday, March 4th, 2019 at 7:15PM Contact Joyce Weitz for more info. at 212-877-1176

Sunday March 3 7:45AM Daf Yomi 8:30AM Shacharit 5:35PM Minchah

Monday Mar.4-Wed. March 6 7/8AM Shacharit 7:45AM Daf Yomi 5:35PM Minchah

Thur, March 7 Rosh Chodesh 6:45/8AM Shach 7:45AM Daf Yomi 5:35PM Minchah

Friday March 8 Rosh Chodesh 6:45/8AM Shach 7:45AM Daf Yomi 5:36PM Candle-lighting 5:40PM Minchah

DAILY SERVICE TIMES

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS SHABBAT SCHEDULE

EREV SHABBAT 5:29PM Candle-lighting 5:35PM Minchah 5:45PM Young Leadership Kabblat Shabbat (1st floor) 8:00PM High School Oneg at the home of Rabbi Dovid & Ariella Zirkind 110 West 86th Street SHABBAT 7:45AM Hashkama 8:30AM Rabbi Israel Silverstein Morning Midrash with Rabbi Zirkind 9:00AM Shacharit 9:15AM Hashkama Shiur with Ora Weinbach, Rabbi Heschel, Rav Soloveitchik, and their modern ontologies. Part 2: The Role of Reason 9:30AM Young Leadership (1st floor) 9:41AM Sof Zman Kriat Shema 10:00AM Youth Groups 12:40PM Early Minchah (4th floor, Beit Midrash) 3:00PM Bikkur Cholim/Bikkur in the Home (meet at 730 Columbus Ave.) 5:20PM Minchah Daf Yomi Muktzah 101 with Rabbi Dovid Zirkind (will resume next week) Seudah Shlishit with Manhattan Jewish Experience 6:29PM Shabbat Concludes 6:30PM Musical Havdallah THANK YOU TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS: Community Kiddush: Elana Kaminetzky, Brian Cohen and Harris In celebration of their new home and move back to the Upper West Side Evelyn & Manny Gross in commemoration of the Yahrzeits of Evelyn’s beloved parents, Bertha and William Bernstein Rochelle Tarlowe & Seth Jonas in commemoration of the yahrzeit of Seth’s father, Mark Cohen

SHABBAT ACROSS AMERICA Join us this Shabbat at 5:45PM as we partner with MJE, hearing the in-spiring personal stories of their members, including their path to Jewish

life and observance. Shaina Slonim is a third year MJE fellow. She was born and raised in Great Neck, moved to NYC for grad school and returned from the grass, trees and stars. A devoted mother to her rescue dog, she works in tech while pursuing her passions of cooking, CrossFit and learning Torah. Scott Brenner studied design and environmental analysis at Cornell University, and is a commercial litigation attorney in Manhattan. When he is not playing chess, fantasy football or jogging, Scott enjoys pursuing a higher education in Judaism through Senior Fel-lowship with MJE. He lives with his wife Atara who he met at a beginners class at MJE.

Welcome Back to Rabbi Yosie Levine Shabbat, March 8th-9th

Please join us for a special Shabbat visit from our Senior Rabbi. Shabbat Morning Drasha at 10:30AM

“But why would we go back, Abba?” Zionism in a post-Diaspora America Seudah Shlishit 6:00PM

The Envy of Ashkenaz: A 17th Century Day School Curriculum from Amsterdam's Spanish-Portuguese Talmud Torah

Masbia Chesed Event Sunday, March 17th

12PM-3PM Vegetable Prep The Jewish Center is hosting a day of chesed that is fun for all ages. Help wash, peel and chop fresh produce to help Masbia, a non-profit soup kitchen network and food pantry, feed dinner for a week. Sign up for a shift at

The Jewish Center Pre-Purim Masquerade Soiree Saturday Evening March 9th

8:00PM until midnight Festive masks. Black Tie.

To register please visit Jewishcenter.org.

PLEASE JOIN US FOR YOUTH SHABBAT! Please join us in the main sanctuary this Shabbat morning at 9:00AM for special tefillah lead by our Youth Department. Our youth will lead us in davening, laining, ushering, and divrei torah. Festive kiddush for all ages to follow on the 5th floor. Thank you to Aliza Herzberg and Adina & Philip Wagman for sponsoring and to all of our boys and girls for volunteering to lead us. (see insert for more details).

Postural Therapy Movement Class Sunday, March 3rd 10AM Sponsored by Advanced Leadership

The Jewish Center Advanced leadership invites all JC members to join in a Postural Therapy Movement Class (yes, you will be moving!) lead by Joey Zimet, in which you’ll gain deep insights on posture and its relation to your health. Please visit jewishcenter.org to register.

JEWISH CENTER UNIVERSITY SPECIAL PURIM SERIES

For more information visit our website or contact Rabbi Dovid Zirkind at dzirkind@jewishcenter.org

MONDAY

Public Enemy No. 1: Amalek in the World of Chassidut and Kabbalah Rabbi Dovid Zirkind Monday Evenings at 8:00 PM, March 11th - 18th This two-part series explores differing approaches to Amalek as seen through the lens of the Purim story. How has the narrative of Amalek's identity shaped the meaning of Purim in times of success and persecution? What lessons does Amalek offer in today's divided world?

TUESDAY

Talmud Class Rabbi Noach Goldstein, 7:45AM–8:30AM will resume March 12 Nosh and Drash With Dr. Adena Berkowitz, 10:15AM-11:30AM Morality and the Megillah Rabbi Eli Buechler, William Fischman Rabbinic Intern Tuesday Evenings at 8:00PM, March 5th - 19th This course explores moral questions that emerge from a close textual reading of the narrative and personalities of the Megillah with their literary parallels in Tanach.

WEDNESDAY An Introduction To The World of Mussar: The Writings of Rav Eliyahu Dessler Rabbi Dovid Zirkind at 11:00AM Talmud 101- Masechet Megillah Ora Weinbach, Community Educator Wedne sday E ve n i ng s a t 8:00PM, March 6th - 13th We will continue working on developing our sk i l l s as independent learners of Talmud through studying texts from Masechet Megillah. We will focus on aggadah about the Purim story to enrich our Purim celebration!

SHABBAT

Muktzah 101 Rabbi Dovid Zirkind Shabbat Afternoons Between Minchah and Maariv in the main sanctuary

Save The Date! Celebrate 2nd Seder at The Jewish Center Motzei Shabbat April 20th, 8:30PM

Rabbi Dovid and Ariella Zirkind invite the community to join them for a festive and collaborative 2nd Seder, hosted at The Jewish Center. Our seder is open to children and adults of all ages, with opportunities to share Divrei Torah and the songs of Pesach from your home with all of us. Details and registration will be available soon. This year's Seder is being catered by Menagerie of Englewood. To join our planning committee please contact Rabbi Zirkind.

TEACH NYS MISSION TO ALBANY | MARCH 12TH

JC COMMUNITY DAY OF CHESED

Sunday March 24-26, 2019 in Washington, DC The Jewish Center has sold out of their discounted tickets but you can still purchase through AIPAC.

Partake in the largest Jewish advocacy day in any State Capitol at the Teach NYS Mission to Albany happening on March 12th, 2019. Lobby and advocate for increased government funding for STEM programs and security funds for our Yeshivas and Day Schools alongside over 500 parents, teachers, and students from our local Day Schools. Email Annie Watman at watmana@ou.org for more information or sign up online at www.teachnys.org/albanymission.

AIPAC POLICY CONFERENCE 2019

If you are interested in reading for homebound seniors please contact Batsheva at Batsheva@jewishcenter.org. Women and girls (ages 12 and up) who are interested in reading for the women's Megilah reading on Purim day at The JC, in connection with Kol HaNeshama and MJE, please contact Naomi Goldman at naomi_goldman@yahoo.com.

CALLING ALL READERS OF MEGILAT ESTHER:

This Shabbat is Shabbat Shekalim. This means that we read a section of Parashat Ki Tisa. In the section that we read, we learn about how the Jews each had to give half a Shekel so that Moshe could count the people. We read this now because the Mishna says that every year, in the time of the Beit Hamikdash, on Rosh Chodesh Adar, it would be announced that everyone had to give a half a shekel. Then on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, it would all be collected. The counting in Ki Tisa took place after the sin of the golden calf. Rashi sees that the phrase ‘ תרומה לה is mentioned three times in the whole section that we read. Rashi claims this symbolizes three different Trumot that Bnei Yisrael gave in the midbar. The first, which is the one we read this Shabbat, is when the Jews give half a shekel which was used for the sockets for the Mishkan. Also, the second time Bnei Yisrael were counted (in the book of Bamidbar)

everyone gave half a shekel but it was used to buy Korbanot for the Mishkan. The third and final Trumah that Bnei Yisrael gave in the midbar is in the beginning of this week’s Parsha when Moshe told Bnei Yisrael to bring materials, however much they wanted to bring, to be used to build the Mishkan. Some people brought gold and silver, while others only brought a few pieces of wool. From here we see that tzedakah is one of the things that led Hashem to forgive Bnei Yisrael for the sin of the golden calf. We can learn from this the significance of tzedakah. God forgave us for one of the biggest sins that we did just because we each donated half a shekel. So next time you have the opportunity to give tzedaka, even though it may just be a little, do it, and who knows how great the reward will be.

Yosie Levine Rabbi

Dovid Zirkind Associate Rabbi

Noach Goldstein Assistant Rabbi

Chaim David Berson

Cantor

Ora Weinbach Community Educator

Eliezer Buechler William Fischman Rabbinic Intern

Aaron Strum

Executive Director

Batsheva Leibtag Director of

Programming and Communications

Sarah Cromwell Youth Director

OFFICERS Andrew Borodach

President

Mark Segall First Vice President

Len Berman Vice President

Aliza Herzberg Vice President

Michael Jacobs Vice President

Scott Black Treasurer

Daniel Solomons Assistant Treasurer

Naomi Goldman Secretary

LOCAL RESOURCES Yoetzet Halacha Shiffy Friedman

nycyoetzet@gmail.com 646-598-1080

Jewish Center Chevra Kadisha

212-724-2700 x555

UWS Mikvah 212-579-2011

Hatzoloh 212-230-1000

Eruv Status 212-724-2700 x4

Parshat 5779 Written by JC Youth

Avi and Gabi Flatto-Katz

ISRAEL UPDATE Macrh 2, 2019

Israeli Director Guy Nattiv Wins Oscar for Short Film

According to ISRAEL21c, Israeli director Guy Nattivw on an Academy Award for best live-action short for his film Skin at the Oscars on Sunday evening, February 24.“Oh my God. I moved here five years ago from Israel... Laila tov [good night] Israel, hi!” he said upon receiving the award. “My grandparents are Holocaust survivors, and, you know, the bigotry that they experienced in the Holocaust, we see that everywhere today, in America, in Europe. And this film is about education, it’s about teaching your kids a better way,” he added. Nattiv accepted the award alongside his wife and the film’s producer, Jaime Ray Newman, and its screenwriter Sharon Maymon. The English-language film is set in America and follows the story of neo-Nazi racists. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin congratulated Nattiv on his win. “Congratulations to Guy Nattiv for winning the Academy Award for best short film,” the president tweeted. “Our dear Guy, the good words about Skin are all yours, Sharon’s and Jaime Ray’s, but the film is a gift for our children and grandchildren, and for the future we wish for them in which they can fulfill all dreams. Great Israeli pride. Mazal tov!” The last time an Israeli director won an Oscar was in 1978, when Moshe Mizrachi received the Academy Award for best foreign-language film for his film Madame Rosa. Our synagogue partners with AIPAC, America’s pro-Israel lobby, in educating our community on issues affecting the U.S.-Israel relationship. We encourage you to learn more by contacting AIPAC at (202) 639-5200 or by visiting www.aipac.org.

SAVE THE DATE April 2nd at 7:30PM

Top 10 Myths and Misconception in Keeping Taharat HaMishpachah An intimate discussion with UWS Yoetzet Halacha

Shiffy Friedman Details to follow

Contact nycyoetzet@gmail.com or mayatsarfati@gmail.com if you’d like to be involved.