SB Left – 4 Column

On Wednesday evening May 30 The Village Temple community gathered for our annual congregational meeting. Reflecting the reinvigorated spirit in our synagogue, we had more than a quorum well before the 7 p.m. starting time (okay, helped by cocktails, provided by Lisa Klinghoffer and hors d’oevres, thank you for the inspiration, board member Lia Levenson!). […]

On Friday night a group of high school students from Cincinnati visiting NYC attended Shabbat services at the Village Temple.  Throughout the month of November, Rabbi Hirsch has been explaining “minhag,” customs that develop in individual congregations, focusing on our practices at the Village Temple. So she asked the visitors how our services were different […]

I am Fred Basch, Co-President of the Village Temple with Julie Salamon. I am very grateful to be here to share this evening. It has been a tough week. My father was admitted to hospital on Sunday evening with potentially life threating problem in Cape Cod and while my Sister and I struggled to find […]

Clifford Krauss, a reporter for the New York Times, wrote a moving article on Saturday about the physical and emotional process of repairing his home after Hurricane Harvey. Since we are approaching the High Holy Days, I found this section particularly relevant: “I am not particularly religious, but on the first Friday night after the flooding I […]

When I took this job, I thought it would be easy.  I figured that it had to be easier than running a company with 100 employees. I was wrong. Being Co-President of the Village Temple (and I think any Temple because I have heard this from others) was just as emotionally challenging for me as […]

This Friday night, June 30, marks Jerry Arbittier’s final Shabbat as co-president of The Village Temple. For the past three years (and a previous one year term a few years earlier), Jerry has demonstrated true leadership with his clear vision, commitment, intelligence and dedication. He helped guide our congregation through a difficult and emotionally draining […]

Before I became co-president of the Village Temple four years ago,  my dog Maggie and I stopped by Harriet Zimmer’s house to ask for advice. Harriet was 94 years old at the time, and had been a member of the VT for 62 years, so I figured she could tell me what I needed to […]

On Sunday April 23, 2017 Rabbi Hirsch and Cantor Nancy Bach, together with pianist Hila Kulik and members of the Village Temple religious school, led a profoundly moving Yom HaShoah service. Rabbi Hirsch invited an extraordinary speaker, Max Lerner, to talk to the 100 people gathered in the sanctuary about his experiences during World War […]