New Broadway

Thoughts on Parshas Yitro

2010-02-08T18:30:00.000-08:00

The Rabbis read this week's enire portion on the supreme moment of the Jewish people, the giving of the Tora at Har Sinai. And, they named this portion after Yitro, the high priest of Midian. Amazing. A beautiful lesson on how the particular is meant to effect the universal and vice versa.

Thoughts on the recent passing of R. Herschel Manischewitz

2009-06-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

After I came home from shul this past Motzoei Shabbos, I opened my email and was saddened to learn about the recent passing of R. Herschel Manischewitz. Herschel had been a fixture on the Upper West Side for years and six foot plus, with a long beard, I had seen him for years on the street before I actually got to know him. At some point, urged on I think by Dovid Greenbaum, he began davenning at Old Broadway. This was long after Rabbi Weschler left and we were delighted to have someone in the shul who had semikhah, even if Herschel didn't really want to be consulted for his rabbinic knowledge. What he really liked to talk about, and what was to me utterly fascinating, we his observations about the Manischewitz family. His knowledge about all of the characters, Bernard Manischewitz and all the rest was deep and inciteful. Since Manischewitz family was and is an important part of Jewish American culture, hearing Herschel hold forth was for me a tremendous treat. He was also related to the former Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, Rabbi Louis Finkelstein. Herschel knowledge about Rabbi Finkelstein complimented in some ways my own knowledge that I had gained working at the Ratner Center for the Study of Conservative Judaism when I was a graduate student at JTS. I knew about the Finkelstein administration from the files I had surveyed. He knew about it because Louis Finkelstein was a close family member.

Herschel could also talk about Manhattan Day School in the 1970s, from whence my older children graduated and where my younger children still attend.

There is no question that Herschel had his issues, but he was also one of the funniest people I have known. He was frequently making my children laugh, and I will never forget his portrayal of Esther at the Purimspiel that Isaac Meyers, z"l wrote for us a number of years ago. There was just something about a six foot, four inch man with a full beard playing Queen Esther that was so outrageous that I laughed until my sides hurt.

Everyone at Old Broadway was saddened when, a few years ago, nearly out of money, Herschel moved onto the campus of a yeshiva in New Jersey. I lost touch with him at that point, although I hope that he was happy and that he had people who cared for him as much as we in Manhattan did.

Herschel, now that you are in the Olam Ha-Emes, I just want to say, we love you and we miss you.

Zekhutu yagen aleynu ve-yehi zikhro barukh. May his merit defend us and may his memory be for a blessing.

Paul Radensky

Audio Recordings of Shiurim?

2009-05-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

We may soon try to figure out a way to post audio files of Daniel Fridman's Sunday morning shiurim online for public consumption. But don't let that be an excuse not to show up Sunday mornings! (8 am davening, followed immediately by breakfast with the shiur.) Remember, if you show up in person, you will have the advantage of being able to ask questions. (Actually, even if you are listening to a recording after the fact, you can feel free to ask as many questions as you like, but my guess is that your chances of Daniel answering you will drop dramatically. Also, the coffee, cookies and bagels will not taste nearly as fresh via audio recording.)

Stay tuned.

Seth Chalmer designs new sign for the Shul!!!!

2008-10-12T16:50:00.001-07:00

baby Avery pictures are up!

2008-09-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

Mazel Tov to Beth, Carl, Toby, and Joelle,

on the birth of their new baby boy, Avery. Here are the new pics!. Wishing the family continued blessings and success!!!

Tashia and Philippe's 1st Post! - Hazon Bike Ride

2008-05-08T13:30:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends!

Please join Tashia and I on the annual NY Jewish Environmental Bike Ride during Labor Day weekend. You will have a great time, meet many groovy and sweet Jewish persons on bikes, spend a great Shabbat at the beautiful Camp Kinder Ring in Hudson Valley, Friday and Saturday (and there is even childcare during Shabbat and no cooking, no dishwashing!!!). And all this while helping the good cause of improving the environment in Israel! We even formed a brand-new Old Broadway Bike Team. We hope that you join us and help to spread OBS’s message far and wide among the Jews on and off bikes!

To learn more about Hazon’s NY Jewish Environmental Bike Ride and register for the ride go here:

http://www.hazon.org/go.php?q=/rides/2007NY/joinThePeopleOfTheBike.html

To sign up to Old Broadway Bike Team please call Tashia or Philippe at 646-831-1654 or 646-831-2732.

B’Shalom

Tashia and Philippe

In Vitro Meat -- Kosher?

2008-05-03T19:25:00.001-07:00

I'm sure by now you've heard in the news that PETA is offering a $1 million reward for the production and commercial availability of in vitro meat -- biological material identical in every way to chicken flesh which would be grown in a laboratory without any actual chicken (or any life form at all) being harmed in any way.

In that spirit, I too will offer a lucrative reward for anyone who answers the halakhic questions below concerning in vitro meat. The reward package will consist of (1) an extra piece of a kugel of your choice at the Old Broadway Synagogue's Shabbat kiddush, hand-delivered by Igor Gantz, and (2) one lesson in how to speak Punjabi by congregant Jason Caplan. Here are my questions:

#1: Is the growth of stem cells (that grows only into flesh with no other organs) considered in halakhic terms to be an animal?
#2: If it's an animal, then won't in vitro meat be inherently unkosher since the animal doesn't have any hooves or cud? And isn't any species of bird? And doesn't have fins or scales? (Not to mention the fact that there won't be any shechita.)
#3: And if the growth on the petri dish is considered to be an animal, and if the "flesh" is harvested chunk by chunk as it grows, won't even non-Jews be prohibited to eat it under Noahide law, since it would be like cutting flesh from a living beast?
#4: If, on the other hand, the growth of cells cannot be called an animal, then in halakhic terms how can in vitro meat be considered meat at all? What halakhic criteria make something meat if not the fact that it comes from an animal?
#5: And if #4 is correct, then isn't in vitro meat not only kosher, but also pareve?
#6: And if #4 and #5 are correct, then if you grew in vitro pork, shrimp and lobster meat, indistinguishable from the real thing, wouldn't it also be kosher?
#7: And if the preponderance of rabbis declare that #4, #5 and #6 are actually correct, but that as a fence around the Torah we shouldn't eat in vitro meat at all, whether faux kosher or faux treif, and if non-Jewish society were to switch entirely over to in vitro meat, then couldn't we find ourselves in the awkward position of being the only group left in America that kills animals?

Please submit your answers in the comments section of this post, or in person at the Old Broadway Synagogue during services.

Torah she-BiCh'tav, Torah she-Blog...

2008-03-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

You know, Daniel's great summary below of this past Sunday's Pirkei Avot shiur prompts me to muse... I think the Amoraim would have loved blogging.

Think about it. Any given sugya in the Gemara is full of "links" to other material in Mishna, Gemara and Baraitot from other "websites". People from vastly different times and places seem to be in direct conversation with each other without ever having met each other. Comments are clipped and to the point, wasting no words. And just as blogs are closer to text conversations than they are to published articles or books, the Gemara is a written record of an extended oral conversation. And of course, just as blog posts have "comments" sections, we can't study Gemara without hearing what Rashi and Tosafot have to say, and we can look further to other Rishonim and Acharonim, down to present day scholars, and down to our own comments. The web of interlocking commentaries could occupy a scholar for a lifetime. It really is a world-wide web.

It is this last element -- interactivity -- in which the comparison may be strongest. Just as a blog inherently encourages readers to comment, the Gemara wants to be discussed and commented upon by every Jew. One of the best aspects of Daniel's wonderful teaching style in our Sunday morning classes is that he brings everyone into the discussion in a substantive way. You don't need to choose between hearing from traditional sources and having meaningful group participation -- as Daniel proves, a synthesis between both is possible and indeed, desirable.

Imagine if the prophets of Israel had blogs...

"MosheRabbeinu.blogger.midbar. Posted at 3:47 PM: Just came down from Har Sinai. (I'm really hungry and thirsty.) OMG! Aaron made a big gold calf! Lots of craziness. Gotta go. I'll write more later."

"YitzhakAvinu.Caanan.net. Posted 6:32 AM: Nice weather this morning. Dad says we're almost there. I'm getting kind of worried... He keeps looking at me and bursting into tears, and we've been traveling really slowly for some reason. It shouldn't have taken us three days to get here. He must really be preoccupied about something, because he totally forgot to bring a ram or any kind of animal to offer up to God. LOL. I wonder where we're going to find one..."

Hillel Rubinstein, z"l 1905-2008

2008-03-01T20:51:00.000-08:00

A week ago this past Shabbos, the Old Broadway Synagogue lost it oldest member, Hillel Rubinstein. Mr. Rubinstein was born in a Hasidic family in Poland and grew up in Warsaw. As a young man in the 1920s, he served in the Polish army and then served again when remobilized in 1939. After the fall of Poland, he found himself behind Soviet lines and was deported to Siberia. After the Nazi invasion of the USSR, he was released to serve in a Polish army fighting with the Soviets. After the war, he met his wife, Zelda, in a DP camp and had their first child, Hershl. In 1949, they came to the United States and settled on Claremont Avenue near the shul. Their daughters Esther and Naomi were born here. Mr. and Mrs. Rubinstein (yavdilah le-chaim tovim aruchim) were pillars of the Old Broadway Synagogue for decades. Mr. Rubinstein was known for his incredible strength that allowed him to do hagbah late until his 80s. What was less well known was that he was also a tremdous baal tzedakah, giving to hundreds of Jewish organizations. In addition to his wife Zelda and his children, Hillel Rubinstein leaves many grandchildren and grandchildren. We hope that his warmth and love of life will continue to live on in our shul even as we will miss him. May Mr. Rubinstein's memory be for a blessing.

Paul Radensky

In memory of Rabbi Jacob Kret, zt"l

2008-02-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

Last week we commemorated Rabbi Kret's zt"l first yahrzeit. In memory of a great man, I would like to present a revised version of the story that I published in the 92nd Street Y Review in 2000.

The Passover Roast Scandal

By Paul Radensky

One of the most stressful moments in my marriage came on the morning right before Passover was to begin. I had spent all of the previous day, and much of the previous night into the early morning hours cleaning our oven. Cleaning for Passover, at least for an observant Jews, is not like cleaning at any other time. All chametz, which includes not only bread but also practically anything else with wheat, has to be removed. Customarily, anything cooked in non-Passover utensils is removed as well. Throughout the year, chametz builds up in an oven. A noodle, crumbs, and sauce that boiled over, and all that stuff that has been carbonized beyond recognition. Every year, I scrape the floor, walls, racks, and stovetop of the oven. It takes a long time and I probably go overboard.

So at four in the morning of the day before Passover, I went to sleep, exhausted, but satisfied that I had done my utmost. After five hours, I awoke to hear my wife, Laura, and her parents in the kitchen, busily preparing the food for that night’s seder. I had a horrible thought - what if they used the oven? You see, in order to make an oven kosher for Passover, it must not only be cleaned, but kashered as well, which for us means turning everything on high and leaving it on for an hour. Five hours earlier, I was too worn out to take this last step, and planned to finish the job after getting some sleep.

I ran into the kitchen and, as luck would have it, Laura and her parents had already been cooking our expensive kosher roast for a number of hours in an oven that was clean, but not kosher for Passover.

After an extensive screaming match (and I have to admit that some of the appellations that we called each other that morning would not be appropriate for this publication), we decided that only our rabbi could save us from the mess we were in. Rabbi Jacob Kret is a product of the yeshivos in Poland and himself is a respected scholar. When we heard our case he thought for a moment and then calmly ruled that the roast was kosher for Passover since we had recited the customary statement in which all chametz in a person’s possession is legally nullified. Nevertheless, we still needed to kasher the oven. Moreover, Rabbi Kret addressed me and said, “Now Paul, don’t do that again!” Peace was restored in our apartment, and a few hours later we all sat down to enjoy the seder.

Since then, I have thought about this incident and role that cleaning has for Passover. More than any other holiday, Passover celebrates freedom. Nevertheless, unlike the other holidays Passover traditionally demands so much work - especially heavy duty cleaning - that when the preparation ends, and the holiday begins, one truly feels liberated. For me, the cleaning for Passover has another meaning as well. The Mishnah lists four different calendrical years. Among them, the New Year for kings and holidays begins on the first of Nisan (two weeks before Passover) and the New Year for regular years, for sabbatical years, for jubilees and for planting begins of the first of Tishrei (our Rosh Ha-Shanah). Traditionally, Jews spend the month before Rosh Ha-Shanah, in prayer and introspection, spiritually preparing themselves for a new beginning.

It makes sense to do something similar for the New Year that begins just before Passover. True, many of us spend this time scouring our homes, yet this is also spiritual work, at least for me. Working all day in a dirty oven, by myself (I send my family out so that they won’t be exposed to the oven-cleaner fumes), I have time to think about how I could do things better: be a better spouse, a better parent, a better friend. As I clean the oven, I spend special attention to the myriad hidden spaces where chametz seems to fall, and at the same, I dig deep to overcome my own prejudices and baggage concerning those I deal with during the year.

Looking back on the roast incident, it is now clear to me that while I did great job cleaning the oven, I didn’t do a good job cleaning my own soul. There was plenty of spiritual chametz left, which is why I yelled at my wife, who was also under pressure preparing for the holiday. Now, each year, I try to pay as much attention to improving my relationships with my friends and family as to making sure that every last speck of dirt has been scrubbed out of the oven. And, I always make sure the oven has been kashered before going to sleep.

Thank you, Rabbi Flatto and Daniel Fridman

2008-02-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

The activity is really picking up at our shul. You can feel it in the air. This past Shabbat, Daniel Fridman, arranged for his teacher, Rabbi David Flatto to speak. Both of his talks, the drusha before Mussaf, and his Jewish Law comparison at Kiddish were excellent. I actually took home the source sheet for "Classical Jewish Law in Comparative Perspective" There were so many great points raised and discussed. Rabbi Flatto's presentation highlighted a lot of the nuance and development of Jewish Law in a way that invited our kehila to ask questions and pursue certain points. Many thanks to Daniel Fridman for arranging this event, and to Rabbi Flatto for his time and vast knowledge. I would like to invite the blog readers to comment on your thoughts, ideas, or questions about the shiur. Perhaps, we can start a practice of following up on shiurim, and Daniel's Pirke Avot class here.
Have a great week!

Jason

Slide Show of the Plaks' Bris

2008-02-01T07:56:00.000-08:00

State of the Shul, or New Life for Old Broadway

2008-01-30T21:20:00.000-08:00

I would like to thank my friends Seth and Jason for inviting me to contribute to this blog. Their energy and enthusiasm has inspired us all at Old Broadway and has brought new life to our venerable Synagogue. As our community grows, with Seth and Jason's help I hope that we will be a continuing beacon of warmth and Yiddishkeyt on the uptown scene.

Speaking of warmth, I would like to invite everyone to come in from the cold and enjoy our new boiler. After weeks of worry, we are finally set and, thank G-d (and Eliott, who met the contractors every day), can daven in comfort in the shul.

Exciting things are happening in the programming department. We are pleased to have Rabbi David Flatto as a guest speaker this Shabbos, and at the end of the month, we will have a Shabbaton with Rabbi Mordechai Rindenow.

So stay tuned and be well!

Paul

What is the State of the Shul?

2008-01-28T21:16:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased to contribute the second post to this blog, and I wish to thank Jason for creating it. (I also wish to say that Jason is absolutely right for rejecting my original suggested title for the blog: "Old Blogway." All things considered, good call.) The Old Broadway Synagogue has become very important to me in this half-year since I have been here, and I am thrilled to have found such a warm environment with such interesting, varied and stimulating people. If even one quarter of the people who attend any given Shabbos lunch at Old Broadway were to post even one quarter of their thoughts and observations on this blog, we would have some truly gorgeous mayhem on our hands. (Mayhem l'shem Shamayim, of course.)

Tonight, President Bush addressed a joint session of Congress to report upon the state of the American Union. In that spirit, I hereby call upon the honorable Dr. Paul Radensky, President of the Old Broadway Synagogue, to contribute a post to this blog detailing his opinions of the State of the Shul, in fulfillment of his duties as our esteemed President. I have not warned Paul in advance that I would ask him to contribute a blog post, nor do I have any reason to believe that Paul will see this blog post unprompted any time soon, and therefore I think the most polite and politic way to proceed would be for everyone who does read this post to pester him about it relentlessly, and without warning, until he complies. (If Paul's son Asher can be enlisted in this persuasion effort, so much the better.) Inquiring minds want to know: what is the State of the Shul?

The re-birth of an amazing shul

2008-01-26T16:43:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to see the growth and meet all the new people at Old Broadway Synagogue. I was talking with my good friend, Seth Chalmer. I decided to create this blog on Motzei shabbat to be a bulletin board, thought exchange, and documentation of all the incredible people and new growth at Old Broadway.
Special mention will go out right away to Paul Radensky who is the life and soul of the shul. Also, Daniel Fridman has put a tremendous amount of Torah and devotion into the shul and kehila. I know everyone looks forward to his weekly drusha on Shabbat and class on Sunday.
There are a lot more people and stories that will soon fill this blog. Enjoy!