1. Shabbat Zoom Log-in Information

2. Shabbat - December 5th

3. "Franklin Roosevelt and the Jews: Did He Do Enough?"

4. TCS/NT Chanukah Events

5. Save the Date: "The Lost World of African-American Cantors" - a Zoom presentation by writer and musicologist Henry Sapoznik

6. Virtual Sit/Stand/Breathe Exercise

7. Virtual Yoga

8. Social Action: Head Start Toy Drive

9. Calling All Knitters and Crocheters

10. Eliminating Food Insecurity

11. Virtual Fundraiser to Feed the Hungry

12. Donations

13. Virtual Out & About: Social Action / Entertainment / Education

14. Etc. (Words by David Byrne / Image by Maira Kalman)

15. Become a Member

ZOOM LOG-IN LINK & INFO: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82536384257?pwd=dDFkSUJOUXRoV2pHNGFRR2hyeXJnQT09

There is only one incident of sexual abuse recorded in the Torah - the rape of Dinah, the daughter of Leah and Jacob. Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder and Senior Rabbi of IKAR in Los Angeles, examines the story in the context of Dinah's trauma and the need to build a culture of accountability. Click here to read her commentary.

The Chatham Synagogue and The Chatham Public Library are co-sponsoring this fascinating discussion about the Roosevelt administration's 1930's policies on Jewish immigration to the U.S., as well as the U.S. decision against bombing the rail lines leading to the concentration camps. The presentation will examine the role of anti-Semitic State Dept. officials in influencing national policy and explore the notion that Roosevelt's policies fell short of the actions that could have been taken to protect and save European Jews.

Al Vinck and Linda Bouchey are retired public school history teachers who have served as researchers and educators for the FDR Presidential Museum & Library and have taught classes on FDR at Lifelong Learning Institutes at Vassar, Bard, and Marist College. The program will be moderated by TCS/NT member and Chatham Library Director, Julie Delisle.

ZOOM LOG-IN LINK:  https://zoom.us/j/98383592153

Most of us will be missing our usual Chanukah celebrations this year, but we welcome everyone to join us for eight nights of virtual candle lighting, along with a Chanukah Party on the eighth night.

The Ritual Committee will be holding a nightly Zoom communal candle-lighting starting Thursday, December 10th, time to be announced.

On Thursday, December 17th at 6:30 we will have our Zoom Chanukah party starting with a communal candle lighting and Chanukah songs, followed by a Chanukah short story reading by Robert Zukerman. Although we can't be together in person, we look forward to lighting candles with you on Zoom!

Henry Sapoznik, an award-winning producer, musicologist, performer, writer, and founding director of the sound archives at YIVO, will be joining us (virtually) for an extraordinary presentation on "The Lost World of African-American Cantors." In Henry's research into Black-Jewish cultural interactions, he discovered a little-known group of Black cantors.

As he notes: "The history of Black-Jewish cultural interaction primarily focuses on how Jews adopted and adapted Black vernacular music - ragtime, jazz, swing, blues, etc. However, what has never before been explored were the African-Americans who performed Yiddish and cantorial music in and for the Jewish community, in theaters, on records, radio, and in concert between the World Wars."

The presentation will honor the memory of now-forgotten Back cantors: Reb Dovid Kalistrita, Abraham Ben Benjamin Franklin, Thomas LaRue Jones, and Goldye May Steiner, the first - and only - black woman cantor. The talk will also feature historic graphics and translations of period Yiddish newspaper previews, ads, reviews, and the one-known 1923 Yiddish and Hebrew recording of Thomas LaRue Jones, known professionally as Der Shvartzer Khazn .

Our weekly Yoga classes are resuming, virtually. TCS/NT member, and dancer, choreographer, physician-assistant, Jamie Stiller, will be leading the classes. There is a $10 donation per Click here email Jamie and arrange payment (Venmo, checks, etc.).

THANK YOU! The generosity of our community has been overwhelming. We've received so many toys for Chatham Head Start that we have enough to share with an additional organization, Toys for Tots. We will be dropping off our extra toys to them at the Saisonnier restaurant in Kinderhook.

>> If you have not had a chance to purchase toys and still wish to do so, they can be dropped of at Saisonnier through December 18th during their open hours - 11:30am - 9pm, Thursday through Monday. Saisonnier is located at 11 Chatham Street in Kinderhook.

We are looking for knitters of any skill level (it's easy!) to create scarves, hats, and mittens for children ages 4-6, boys and girls. If you would like to participate in this meaningful and fun initiative, please email Barbara Lax - barbaralaxkranz@gmail.com. All items must be delivered to Barbara by December 16th in order to get them ready to be given to the children.

Click here for a pdf of knitting instructions for toddler's mittens - age 2-3 years.

Click here for a pdf of knitting instructions for children's mittens - age 2-4 & ages 8-10

Click here for a pdf of knitting instructions for children's hats - ages 3-5, 6-8, and 9-11.

Because of COVID, the TCS/NT Social Action Committee won't be able to hold the popular annual Harvest Dinner to raise money for the Chatham Area Silent Pantry. So, in lieu of the dinner, we would like to remind TCS/NT members of the ways that we can still help support our local community through donations of food, time, and resources. While we're sad to be apart this holiday season, we can continue to fill the homes of those in need with our generosity. In addition to the organizations listed directly below in the "Virtual Fundraiser to Feed the Hungry," please consider donating to the Chatham Area Silent Pantry. And don't forget, Columbia County Office for the Aging is still looking for volunteer drivers for Meals on Wheels. You can contact them at 518-828-4258.

In Columbia County over 10% of our neighbors in at or below the poverty line, including nearly 2,000 children and many senior citizens. The government subsidies, which aren't always available, cover only 60% of food costs. WE CAN HELP! The Chatham Area Interfaith Council encourages everyone to support the local organizations that work hard to provide meals and groceries to families suffering from food insufficiency. Please consider donating to one or more of the local organizations that depend on our generosity to provide food to those who need it:

"Some of the most enjoyable times we have in life are spent sharing a meal. God will smile on us all as we feed our neighbors." ~ Pastor Gloria Jimpson, Payne AME Church, Chatham

(Note: Donations can be made online on our website. Click here to donate.)

Bonnie Podolsky & Douglas Rich - General Donation

Charles & Joyce Sarner - HH Donation

Kathy Zises - HH Donation

Social Action / Entertainment / Education

[NEW] 92nd Street Y - Online Cooking Class: Latkes with Danielle Renov

Inspired by her Sephardic and Ashkenazi roots, her love of Israeli markets, and her Moroccan family, cookbook author Danielle Renov will share her secrets for holiday meal planning and demonstrate her favorite latke recipe as well as latke side-sauces.

Registration for this program includes a code for a 20% discount on the purchase of her new book, Peas, Love, & Carrots. Click here for more information and to register for this event.

On Dec. 3rd, the Jewish Women's Archive Book Club will be featuring Maira Kalman, the Israeli-born American illustrator, writer, artist, and designer, who will be talking about the newly-ish (March 2020) published illustrated edition of The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein.

Click here for the full schedule of JWA Book Talks and to register for the Zoom event.

The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene is presenting a star-studded evening of music with more that 50 performers from Broadway and the Yiddish stage. The performers include Billy Crystal, Joel Grey, Mayim Bialik, Tovah Feldshuh, Barry Manilow, Mandy Patinkin, Carol Kane, Jerry Zaks, and many more.

Click here for more information and to register for the event.

Classical pianist, Angela Hewitt has a deserved reputation as the leading Bach pianist of our time. Her 2018 92nd Street Y performances of Bach's Goldberg Variations and The Well-Tempered Clavier were noteworthy.

The Y will premiere streams of these performances on Friday, Nov. 20th at 7:30pm and they will be available through midnight, Friday, December 4th. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets

The Mount has teamed up with acclaimed theatre lighting designer Chris Cocchiaro to create "NightWood," an annual sound and light experience that transforms the property into a fantastical holiday winter landscape. Inspired by the natural beauty and architecture of The Mount, NightWood will immerse visitors in a series of vignettes designed to evoke elements of fantasy, mystery, and whimsy. Guests are advised to dress for the weather, winter boots are advised, masks are required. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

From spices, herbs, and knife skills, to stews, pasta, fish, and vegetarian meals, Milk Street Cooking School offers a wide range of in depth courses featuring easy to follow videos and step-by-step tutorials with clear instructions and photos. There's even a course on Instant Pot dishes that will teach you tricks and techniques for making the most of of your multicooker. And the courses are free! Click here to get started.

Citizen Cafe in Tel Aviv is a culture language school that uses a unique, immersive method to teach all levels of Hebrew learners, from beginners to advanced. The classes focus on both proper language use and modern-day slang. Click here for more info.

Click here to download the flyer for more info and to register for the course.

You can download a membership application here.

Our Mailing Address: The Chatham Synagogue / P.O. Box 51 / Chatham, NY 12037