Our Woodlands Community Rabbi Billy Dreskin rabbi@wct.org Rabbi Mara Young rabbimara@wct.org Cantor Jonathan Ben Gordon cantor@wct.org Lily Mandell, Director of Youth Engagement youth@wct.org Corey Friedlander, Sh’liakh K’hilah corey@wct.org Zach Plesent, Rabbinic Intern intern@wct.org
Executive Committee Andy Farber, President president@wct.org Nancy Fishman, VP Education education@wct.org Michael Witkowski, VP Facilities facilities@wct.org Michael Wiskind, VP Finance finance@wct.org Jenna Lebowich, VP Programming/Ritual programming@wct.org Herb Friedman, Financial Secretary financialsecretary@wct.org Steve Sagner, Secretary secretary@wct.org Bonni Abore, Treasurer treasurer@wct.org
Board of Trustees Irv Adler David Bertan Pam Chernoff Judy Feder Yvette Gralla Amy Green
Toby Linder Lisa Linn Matthew Moss Mike Scafidi Ann Zarider Jay Zwicker
Dayle Fligel (ex-officio)
Office Staff Liz Rauchwerger, Office Coordinator liz@wct.org Marjorie Mattel, Office Assistant marjorie@wct.org Michele Montague, Education Administrative Assistant michele@wct.org Bookkeeper bookkeeper@wct.org
Dan Geffen Returns for a Weekend of Learning, Continued from p. 1
Rabbi Dan’s presentations will build on the week’s Torah portion, Vayeshev, at the end of Genesis. It opens the dramatic story of Joseph as he reveals his dreams of power and glory to his brothers, who are already jealous of his status as Jacob’s favorite child. And yet, this prideful, even grandiose guy would become the first in Jewish tradition to earn the title of Tzaddik, which most people would associate with unadulterated goodness, righteousness, perhaps even humility. So what’s that about? What can we learn from Joseph’s complicated life? How can each of us, with all our flaws and foibles, cultivate the tzaddik within us? Dan will guide us in wrestling with these questions. He will be on the bimah Friday night, in t’filah at Religious School and in Hevra Torah Learning Saturday morning. He also will join us for Saturday evening dinner at 6:00 pm, followed at 7:30 pm by learning, Havdalah and dessert. “Our study of righteousness and value-laden living with Dan will enrich us all, both through our exploration of the materials he brings to us and through the time we spend with this exceedingly kind and engaging teacher of Judaism and of human goodness,” Rabbi Billy says. For Rabbi Dan, the weekend is not only an opportunity to explore values that guide his life and work. “It’s also a way of saying thank you to the Woodlands community for what they gave me,” he says. “They showed me it’s possible to have a synagogue where
people can really be themselves and feel like they’ve found a home. There’s a way to be relaxed in synagogue and be serious without being sanctimonious. It opened my eyes to look for that when I looked for a job.” And it informed the spirit he wanted to bring to the temple community he now leads. “Woodlands showed me a way of being together. Whether it was the way clergy interact with their leadership, or the way leaders interact with their congregation, or the way kids interact with adults, or adults interact with elderly members. The foundation of the synagogue is the idea of human dignity, and how we treat each other ultimately determines how the community is built.” Dan can fill you in on all the great things he’s been up to since we last saw him, but here are a few highlights. He was ordained by Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion in New York in May 2014 (he’s probably too humble to mention this but during his time at HUC, Dan received prestigious awards for Rabbinics, Hebrew Literature, Halachic Literature and twice for Amitz Lev, honoring his spirit, character and strength of heart). He and his wife, Lu, landed in Sag Harbor in the summer of 2014 and, two and half years ago, they became the proud parents of Eva Malka. Please join us for any or all parts of Dan’s visit with us. If you want to attend the Saturday dinner, don’t forget to register at wct.org/dangeffen.
Rabbi-in-Residence Rabbi Dan Geffen: “Pursuing Tzedek in Our Lives” Fri, Nov 30 - Sat, Dec 1
Woodlands Community Temple 50 Worthington Road White Plains, NY 10607 914.592.7070 main office 914.592.1790 religious school direct line 914.592.7376 fax wct@wct.org www.wct.org Religious School: school@wct.org
Woodlands Community Temple is affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism Art Director: Melanie Roher Advertising Director: Dayle Fligel
2
www.wct.org
Fri, Nov 30 at 8:00 pm Shabbat Evening Service: “How Perfect Must We Be?”
Sat, Dec 1 at 9:15 am Hevra Torah Learning: “Joseph: He’s a Tzaddik?”
Sat, Dec 1 at 7:30 pm Learning and Discussion: “Being Tzodek: What Does Judaism Want from Us?” Optional dinner at 6:00 pm Register at wct.org/dangeffen ($18/person)