Congregation Agudat Achim
Weekly Announcements
26 August 2021 - 18 Elul 5781
Parashat Ki Tavo
Rabbi Rafi Spitzer -- President Jackie Rowen
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One of my teachers, Rabbi Noah Benjamin Bickart came out this week with a halakhic ruling on vaccination requirements: I, Rabbi Noah Benjamin Bickart, hereby affirm that it is an obligation under Jewish Law to be vaccinated against Covid-19, especially now that the FDA has given full authorization. Anyone who refuses to get the shot is publicly violating Jewish law and therefore must not be appointed as Prayer leader, Shofar Blower, Torah Reader and/or Preacher for the High Holidays.
At the end of Moshe’s life, his teachings urge us to choose life, to understand the primacy of a life-focused Judaism. “I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life—if you and your offspring would live…” Rabbi Bickart is following up on Moshe’s great tradition by using Jewish law to help us clarify our values. Please get vaccinated if you are eligible and have not yet done so. Choose life!
A couple of weeks ago, we began to wake up in advance of the new year, by blowing the shofar every morning of the month of Elul. This Saturday night, we intensify that preparation through beginning to say the Selichot prayers, in the high holiday melodies, which get us in the mood for Rosh Hashanah. Please join us Saturday night!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Spitzer
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A message from our President
As the end of summer looms over us and many of us are being stared down by the start of the school year I want to remind everyone of all the great things coming up at Agudat Achim this fall! We’ve got amazing High Holiday programming, the Berk Lectures and the Carrot Festival! Although the end of the summer makes us all sad, we’ve got great things coming up to look forward to.
Jackie Rowen
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New website update
Launching our new website was one of, if not the most, exciting parts of the entire redesign process. Seeing the finished product our team worked so hard on coming to life was nothing short of sweet. After celebrating the launch, however, comes the glitches, a common occurrence for new websites.
Thank you for your comments and patience as we continue to work through some tech and content issues. We understand the layout and presentation of new information can be a little overwhelming and confusing. However, we are making quick adjustments to improve our website further.
The Congregation Agudat Achim website reflects who we are as a congregation. Therefore, your comments are critical to creating a site that includes the information that reflects the individuals who comprise our community. To that end, we invite you to share
We welcome your thoughts as you continue to explore and enjoy our new website.
Thank you.
Deb Friedson, New Website Content Chair
Rabbi Spitzer
Josh Cooper-Ginsburg, Executive Director
Jack Mintzer, Director of Education & Programming
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Kabbalat Shabbat
in the Parking Lot
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This week, the 27th, will be the last Parking Lot service of the year.
A Special Oneg Shabbat will be served after services.
COVID Information:
- Attendees are not required to wear masks or be socially distant.
- You wear a mask if you choose to.
- Attendees who wish to maintain social distance will be able to do so.
We'd love to see you there!
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SHABBAT AFTERNOON SOCIAL GATHERING
New Day and Time
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Practice the Tunes of the High Holidays |
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Participate in Picking Produce at the Regional Foodbank Farm
On Sunday, August 29, 10 AM to 1:00 PM, please join USYers, Kadimaniks, and their parents to pick produce at the Regional Foodbank Farm in Voorheesville. If you can only work for an hour or two, that’s fine. But wouldn’t it be grand for CAA youth and adults to work together to serve our community. While we have plenty of space for volunteers, please let Susan Sharfstein (ssharfst@earthlink.net, 518-810-2249) or Stephen Schechter (schecs93@gmail.com, 518-393-5847) know if you’re coming, so we’ll be expecting you.
Watch for future collaborations between our youth and adult members, co-sponsored with the Social Action Committee.
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Stephen Berk Lecture Series |
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Congregation Agudat Achim's Adult Education Committee announces a series of six fascinating lectures with Dr. Stephen Berk, professor of history at Union College and Scholar-in-Residence at Congregation Agudat Achim for more than 30 years.
Come join us this fall for Dr. Stephen Berk's newest lecture series,
Personality Counts: The Men and Women who Created and Shaped the State of Israel
The dates of the lecture series are:
Sept: 23, 30, Oct: 7, 14, 21, 28
All Lectures will be in person or online, your choice
Please register by September 13th.
You can register and pay online or by check by clicking on the button below.
If you prefer to use a printed format you can view, download, and print the registration form by clicking here.
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Birthdays: Alice Rubenfeld, Don Steiner, Hannah Delman, Christi Hart, Jacob Peck, Ellen Weingarten, Roman Brusilovsky, Deborah Goldstein, David Greenberg, William Pearlman, Valerie Stark
Anniversaries: Ellen and Ken Carpenter, Terri and Alan Goldman, Bonnie and Steven Cramer, Diane and Matthew Frank, Betty and Alex Hallenstein, Aaron Gruenberg and Rosalie Fadem, Shirley and Richard Cohen, Rabbi Rafi Spitzer and Rachael Besser
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Yahrzeits: Elayne Miller, Irwin Ratner, Anne Brilliant, Sol Wasser, Sylvia Young, Irving Gelb, Howard Isaacson, Gerold Kraut, Jules Smuckler, Jaime Tafla
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Thank you to the individuals who participated in this past week's Shabbat services: Yashar koach!
Torah and Haftarah Readers: Howard Mittleman, Jeff Shapiro, Kaitlin Spektor, Art Friedson
Daveners/Service Leaders: Rabbi Spitzer, Orit Shiang
Service Coordinators/Gabbaim: Anita Merims
COVID-19 Compliance Guarantor/Shamash: Barby Harris
Other Participants: Robert Weissberg, Kaitlin Spektor, Edith Kliman, Anita Merims, Rachael Besser, Roberta Steiner, Sonya Trevizo
Contributors to our Security Fund, Attendees, “…those who give funds for heat and light, wine for Kiddush and Havdalah, bread to the wayfarer and charity to the poor, and all those who devotedly involve themselves with the needs of this community… May the Holy Blessed One reward them, remove sickness from them, heal them, and forgive their sins. May God bless them by prospering all their worthy endeavors, and let us say: Amen.”
Would you like to see your name on this list?
Get in touch with Howie Mittleman or Rabbi Spitzer!
Ritual Mitzvah Volunteer Opportunity
Rabbi Spitzer and the ritual committee are looking to expand our pool of regular Zoom weekday evening service leaders. One of our regular leaders has developed a conflict on the nights he usually leads, and we'd like to take the opportunity to get some new faces involved. This is a wonderful way to give back to the community, doesn't take longer than 15 minutes, and is relatively easy to learn. Creative/nontraditional services may also meet the need of the community. Please email rabbispitzer@agudatachim.org if you're interested, or curious.
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High Holiday Forms and Information |
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Please note: There will be no babysitting services available at the synagogue during High Holiday services. Please prepare other arrangements for child care if you choose to attend in person, without your children. You have the option to join together in person or to participate virtually via our live stream as well.
There will be no printed tickets for High Holidays this year. All members are registered for attendance and must check in at the front door for contact tracing purposes. Your name will be prepared on a printed list to be checked off by our security guard. You will be asked the following questions upon entry:
- Have you travelled outside the country in the past 14 days?
- Have you had any direct or close contact with anyone who tested positive or may have been positive for COVID-19, including the Delta variant?
- Have you had any symptoms of illness in the last 48 hours, including sneezing, coughing, difficulty breathing, smelling, or tasting?
If you answer yes to any of these questions, we will ask you to participate in the service from your home, via our live stream service.
Non-members (extended family of CAA members or individuals in the community) must pre-register in order to attend any High Holiday services. No non-CAA member walk-ins will be allowed at any High Holiday service. In order to register, please fill out the form here.
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If you choose to participate from the comfort of your home for all High Holiday services and do not own a copy of the Machzor Lev Shalem, please fill out the form here to either pick up a copy for each member of your family or arrange for delivery by volunteer service.
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To submit names for our annual Yizkor Book of Remembrance, please fill out the form here.
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Click here to see our full schedule of services.
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Registration for 2021-2022 school year
is now open for Prek - 12
High School Electives are Now Available.
Email Jack with your choices.
We plan to be in person if all goes well this summer.
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As You Like It still has the Meals-to-Go freezers stuffed with plenty of favorites! Perfect for your Shabbat table or anytime! Available now! The entire list of offerings can be found on our website or by calling the mail office. New items added weekly, so keep checking regularly. To order and arrange your pick-up, contact Rise' Routenberg at syncaterer@aol.com. Thank you for shopping with us!
You can see the entire list of offerings by clicking on the button below
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Food Drive: SiCM + CAA Social Action |
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The Social Action Committee is continuing plans for a New Year of Tikkun Olam with projects that serve the needs of the greater community. To that end, a High Holiday-Sukkot food drive is planned. Beginning 1 September and continuing through Carrot Festival on 10 October, we will be collecting much needed nonperishable food items to be distributed to SICM (Schenectady Community Ministries).
Food items should be placed in baskets located in the synagogue foyer.
SICM has suggested the following items ONLY:
Coconut Milk - Canned Fruits and Vegetables - Breadcrumbs - Quinoa - Couscous - Stuffing - Dried Herbs.
Thank you in advance for participating in this critical community act of tzedakah.
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Women's League Calendar Diaries Now Available |
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Women’s League Diaries – Order Now
We’re ready to send in an order for the 2021-2022 calendar diary, from the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism. The diaries contain a listing of all Jewish holidays for the new year. Each page contains the secular date on the left side and the Jewish date on the right side.
Every Masorti congregation in the US, Canada, and Israel are identified by location. Toward the end of each diary are candle lighting brachot for all festivals. There is also an abbreviated birkat hamazon, a traveler’s tefillah, and a mourner’s kaddish in Aramaic and English. These wonderful books have lots of places to record upcoming appointments as well.
The cost of these diaries is just $10. Please let Jessica Many know by Thursday 26 August if you’d like to purchase one or more. You may reach Jessica at 518-355-8286.
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High Holiday Gift Bag Drivers - Volunteers are urgently needed to help deliver these gift bags on Sunday, 29 August. Please reach out to Ricki Shapiro at rockets4@verizon.nett
Reyut and Hessed requests for rides
It is now permitted for our volunteers, if they feel comfortable, and are vaccinated and masked, to drive congregants. Please feel free once again to call Linda Birnby at 518-608-6083 to request a ride, and she will call the volunteers for you to get you a driver. Remember, the earlier that you call her to request a ride, the easier it will be for her to find you a driver. It is wonderful to be able to offer you this service once again!
Rabbi Spitzer teaches a class on the weekly Torah portion on Tuesdays from 12:30p – 1:30p on Zoom. The link is on the CAA Online Programming Google Doc. If you are interested in exploring the weekly Parashah, please attend. All are welcome. Rabbi Spitzer invites you to call or email with your comments or thoughts.
Beginner and Intermediate Hebrew Classes at CAA Next Class 31 August
Interested in learning Hebrew? Zipporah Harris, a Hebrew teacher with more than 30 years of experience, continues to share her knowledge and skills at CAA. A group of learners who joined Ms. Harris’s class several sessions ago is now at a solid intermediate level, ready to start its next session of 10 classes on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. If you are a beginner, interested in joining a beginners’ Hebrew class, please contact Zipporah Harris at yourpersonalspace1@gmail.com Cost: $100 per session, payable to Zipporah Harris at the beginning of a session ($10 per class)
Every Wednesday on Zoom at 10a.
Meets on the second Wednesday of each month, at 12:00p
Next Meeting 13 October
October book: The Light of Days, by Judy Batalion
November book: Paris Children, by Gloria Goldreich
Following minyan at 7:15p, we will meet outside the home of Steve Schmidt, 1202 Godfrey Lane in Niskayuna, weather-permitting. If we go inside, please have a mask to wear. A Zoom component will also be offered for those unable to attend in person.
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Our evening 7:15p service each night, except Tuesday night will be Mincha.
Friday Mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat will be at 5:30p on Zoom
and in our parking lot, weather permitting.
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Links to Religious Services |
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Siddur Supplement
Until further notice, we are using the full Siddur Sim Shalom during weekday and Shabbat services. This version has both Shabbat and Weekday prayer services (whereas the "Slim Shalom," which only contains Shabbat services are typically used in the sanctuary). Rabbi Spitzer has made the following four prayers accessible.
We would like to make everyone’s experience of the service at home as barrier-free as possible so please get in touch with us if there are other things that we can do to increase ease of access.
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Online Mikveh Guide Training
October 2021, will launch a new cohort of Seven Steps, the essential online course for training the Mikveh Guide of today and tomorrow. Drawing from rabbinic sources, current psychology, and the experiences of contemporary mikveh attendants, this 8-week training offers the knowledge and skills to facilitate immersions with dignity, respect, and modesty. Participants will learn best practices for making guests feel welcomed, safe, and supported, and gain skills for becoming a mikveh ambassador in their local communities. Seven Steps includes live and asynchronous sessions, and the next cohort begins October 10. Find more information and the application here.
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Jewish Family Services is Offering Scholarship Opportunities for Local Undergraduate and Graduate Students
The following JFS scholarships of $1,000-$2,000 are now available to support Jewish students with college-related expenses.
Scholarships are made possible by:
• The David and Rose Udelson Bray Scholarship Fund
• The Hessberg Trust
• The JFS Scholarship Fund*
Eligibility requirements vary per scholarship. Students must be residents of Albany, the surrounding area, or attend college or graduate school locally. Applicants must be at least 17 years old and be currently enrolled in an accredited college or university.
To be considered for a 2021-22 JFS scholarship, applicants must also write a brief essay on:
• their understanding of Jewish Family Services’ impact on and for the community and
• suggest innovative ideas on how college students can support the mission of JFS and serve those in need
Preference will be given to applicants who express interest in volunteering with JFS.
The deadline is Friday, September 10, 2021.
The recipients will be selected from submissions and will be awarded their scholarship in late September. Please note we may choose to use the winning entry in JFS publicity and marketing communications.
* This fund is currently made up of the following funds: Frederick DeBeer Scholarship, Jewish Family Services Scholarship, Beatrice B. Levy Scholarship, George M. Simon Scholarship (restricted to a resident of Albany) and the Eli Werlin Scholarship.
** Application is for the 2021-2022 academic year. Student must provide proof of enrollment/admission prior to scholarship being issued.
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Bags That Give Back: Schenectady Community Ministries (SiCM) Selected to Benefit in Hannaford Reusable Bag Program Designed to Give Back in Local Communities
(Schenectady, NY) – Reduce single-use plastic in the environment and give back to those in need in the local community, all while running routine weekly errands at the local Hannaford stores located at 5239 Western Turnpike, Guilderland NY and 1400 Altamont Avenue, Schenectady NY. Schenectady Community Ministries (SiCM) has been selected by local Hannaford store leadership as the benefiting non-profit in the Fight Hunger Bag for the month of August and October!
The Hannaford Fight Hunger Bag is an easy way for shoppers to give back to the local community and the environment as part of the regular shopping routine. Every $2.50 reusable Fight Hunger Bag sends a $1 donation to a non-profit local to the Hannaford in which it was purchased.
As part of this ongoing program, every month at every Hannaford location a different local non-profit is selected to benefit from the sale of the reusable Fight Hunger Bag. Schenectady Community Ministries (SiCM) was selected as the August and October beneficiary by local store leadership at the store located at 5239 Western Turnpike, Guilderland NY and 1400 Altamont Avenue, Schenectady NY. SiCM will receive a $1 donation for every $2.50 reusable Fight Hunger Bag purchased at this location in August and October.
“It’s more important than ever to help reduce single-use plastic in the environment,” said Amaury Tañón-Santos, Executive Director of SiCM. “Non-profits at the local level, like us, are in need of community support. This program offers the perfect solution to multiple issues of the world today. We hope you’ll support us in August and October by purchasing one – or two! - Fight Hunger Bag at our local Hannaford!”
Schenectady Community Ministries (SiCM) is a non-profit based in Schenectady, NY. Founded in 1967, SiCM works to address food insecurity in Schenectady County by hosting the largest food pantry in Schenectady County. Learn more about SiCM by visiting https://www.sicm.us/donate.
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An Elul Intensive
A Free Four-Week Online Program from IJS and its Partner Organizations
August 8 – September 6, 2021
As we enter the high holidays this year, society around us is easing into a post-pandemic reality and beginning to re-open. Even as we yearn for normalcy, many of us sense a desire deep within us to do better than just return to things as they were. Perhaps there is a better way to live, one that builds upon the lessons learned this past year and embodies greater compassion and justice. The challenges and opportunities of this moment are many. How can we deepen our awareness and clarify our purpose as we enter this new year?
The Shofar Project 5781 is a free program open to people of all backgrounds who want to make this a year of continued transformation. IJS will provide Jewish teachings and daily practices including Torah study, Jewish mindfulness meditation, and Jewish yoga, to address the longing within our hearts to lead lives of sacred purpose, in right relationship with the land and each other. It takes place during the Hebrew month of Elul, the month preceding the Jewish High Holy Days, a traditional period for intensive spiritual reflection, introspection, and moral accounting (August 8 – September 6, 2021)
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