This Week: Selichot + Mazal Tovs, Compost Committee updates and more

[Altshul]

Upcoming at Altshul
1.    Selichot Services, Saturday September 4th, midnight
2.    Saturday Morning Minyan, September 25, 10am
3.    Simchat Torah Service, Friday, October 1, 9am

Altshul Announcements
4.    Altshul Compost Committee Update
5.    Prepare a Meal for a New Baby's Family
6.    Community Mazal Tovs

High Holidays
7.   Congregation Beth Elohim
8.   Kane Street Alternative Service
9.   Isabella Freedman High Holidays Retreat

Community Announcements
10.    Kosher Pastured Chicken - special offer for Altshul community
11.    Ta Sh'ma: A Retreat for Prospective Rabbinical Student

Apartment Listings
12.    Park Slope Room available starting September or October
13.    Rosh Hashanah Hospitality Request

Details below…
 

Upcoming at Altshul  
1.   Selichot Services, Saturday September 4th, midnight

On Saturday night September 4th, at MIDNIGHT, Altshul will be meeting for Selichot, a service customarily held on the Saturday night preceding Rosh HaShanah. The service is comprised of verses and songs from the High Holidays and is a wonderful way to prepare oneself mentally and spiritually. The service will be at the home of Ben and Rachel Geballe (90 8th Avenue, #10B). In order to get a sense of how many people Ben and Rachel should expect, we'd appreciate if you could RSVP to Eytan at Altshul...@gmail.com. We hope you can join!

2.   Saturday Morning Minyan, September 25, 10am

Altshul will meet Shabbat morning, September 25th at Beth Elohim. We will be reciting Hallel in celebration of the 3rd day of Sukkot. Kindershul will start at the beginning of the Torah services.

3.   Simchat Torah Service, Friday, October 1, 9am

Altshul will meet Friday morning, August 28th at Beth Elohim for a Simchat Torah celebration. Services will start at 9am followed by spirited Hakafot at 10am. 

Altshul Announcements
4.   Altshul Compost Committee Update

The Altshul Compost Committee is recruiting volunteers! Do you want to reduce Altshul's carbon footprint? You know you do! Composting is an easy (and fun) way to clean contaminated soil, prevent pollution, remove toxins from water, and enrich the earth. Never composted before? No matter -- we'll show you how. Join the compost committee and "talk trash" with us! For more information and to volunteer, please email Shuli Passow at shu...@gmail.com.

6. Prepare a Meal for a New Baby's Family

Mazal tov to Michael Weinshenker and Leah Cover, as well as big sister Chaya, on the birth of baby boy Boaz! To welcome this newest addition to their family, Altshul is coordinating vegetarian meals for the next week. If you can prepare a vegetarian meal, we need your help! To volunteer to prepare a meal, contact Rena at life...@altshul.org.

5.   Community Mazal Tovs

• Maza tov to William and Malya on their recent wedding! 
  
• Mazal tov to Matthew Weinshenker and Leah Cover and big sister Chaya on the birth of a baby boy!

High Holidays
There are many High Holiday options available in Brooklyn and while Altshul is not running its own services, we wanted to call your attention to some options. Below are descriptions of services at our host congregation, Beth Elohim, an alternative service that has specifically invited Altshul members, and at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center.

7.  Congregation Beth Elohim

Congregation Beth Elohim hosts 4 different services for the high holidays to which Altshulers are invited:

• The Sanctuary service is led by Rabbi Andy Bachman and Cantor Galeet Dardashti.
• The Youth and Family Service is geared toward Yachad (Religious School) families with children ages 6-18 and their parents.
  
• The Tots Service will be mostly families who participate in the regular Tot Shabbat program, geared toward children under 5.
• The Brooklyn Jews service is geared towards unaffiliated Jews in their 20s and 30s.
  

Please note that musical instruments will likely be played at each of these services.

For more information and to reserve your ticket, call the CBE office at 718-768-3814.

8.  Kane Street Alternative Service - Discount Ticket for Altshul Members 

Back by popular demand, Joey Weisenberg (an Altshul friend) will be running an alternative service for the Kane Street Synagogue in Carroll Gardens. The service will be full of singing and will follow the complete traditional liturgy. Taking place at a venue at Bergen & Court Streets, it is geared towards a diverse age group and will be a family friendly environment.

As has been the tradition in the last couple of years, the Kane Street Synagogue has generously offered discounted tickets of $125 to Altshulers (covering both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur). A limited number of tickets at this price are available directly from Kane Street. Please contact Linda Mahler at 718-875-1550 and identify yourself as an "Altshul member."  Altshulers are strongly encouraged to buy tickets asap in order to get this discounted rate and ensure that you get a ticket.

Joey is looking for help organizing and leading various aspects of High Holidays. If you are interested in helping to Gabbai, read Torah, or assist in any way, please contact him directly at joeywei...@gmail.com.

9.  Isabella Freedman High Holidays Retreat

Join the Isabella Freeman Jewish Retreat Center for their unique high holiday programming - a journey designed to help us re-member who we are. Find out more at http://isabellafreedman.org/highholidays.

Community Announcements
10.    Kosher Pastured Chicken - special offer for Altshul community!

Grow and Behold Foods is offering kosher, pastured chicken, delivered to Brooklyn (569 Vanderbilt; home delivery available) on Tuesday, September 7 -- in time for Rosh Hashana! Moved to fresh pastures every day by Amish farmers, our chicken is produced outside, without antibiotics or hormones.  You've never tasted chicken this good!  It's so delicious, one of our customers exclaimed, "This chicken makes the other stuff taste like tofu!"

Special discount for Altshul community: enter code ALTSHUL for 10% off one-time orders of $50 or more.  Offer ends Thursday, September 2nd. Order up until 8pm on Sunday, September 5 for delivery on Tuesday, September 7.  Home delivery is available.  More info at www.growandbehold.com.

11.    Ta Sh'ma: A Retreat for Prospective Rabbinical Students, October 14-17, 2010

Please join the students and faculty of the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College for a program of study, prayer, community and celebration. Find out more about the Rabbinical School and spend four days in our unique pluralistic Jewish community, where you will have the opportunity to meet and learn with a group of passionate Jewish seekers and future leaders. Registration deadline is October 7, 2010.  For more information please contact Rabbi Sara Zacharia at szac...@hebrewcollege.edu.    

Apartment Listings
12.  Park Slope Room available starting September or October (long-term)

• Huge, beautiful, extremely conveniently located room available starting either in September or October 1.
• Large Bedroom (fits queen-size bed), Huge Living Room and Kitchen Area, Balcony, Option for Laundry IN UNIT, elevator, roof access, and 4 blocks from Atlantic-Pacific Terminal.
  
• On 4th Avenue, near great bars, dry cleaners, 1 block from Key Food and Gorilla Coffee, and walking distance to Cobble Hill, Fort Greene, Prospect Heights, etc. Neighbors are super-nice.
  
• I am open to well-behaved dogs but not cats.
• Kitchen is not kosher but I am open to vegetarian or kosher arrangements (I do have a seperate set of dishes for kosher meat). Great for hosting Shabbat meals.
• Rent is $1200 per month, not including utilities
• Email absc...@gmail.com or call 216-409-8462

13.  Hospitality Request

My sister is coming to town with her family for Rosh Hashanah and we do not have enough room in our apartment to put them up. They plan to arrive 9/8 and  hope to stay until, Sunday, 9/12. If you have rooms to share, please contact Yael at yael...@gmail.com.