It's a New Year...

And you can have new seats for High Holiday services at CSAIR.

Or, you can have the same seats you had last year.

Either way, you only have a few days to let us know if you prefer new or old.

Seat requests for Yom Tov must be submitted to the office by next Tuesday, August 1st.

Make your request known! Click here for printable form!

Or fill out the form you received in the mail and send it back or drop it off to the CSAIR office.

Questions? Call the office: 718-543-8400.

Please remember: High Holiday tickets will not be released until membership is paid in full or a payment plan is in place.

Are you Registered for Hebrew School?

Classes begin Sunday, September 17th at 10:00 AM. The largest and fastest growing Hebrew School in Riverdale, CSAIR stresses parent involvement, community building, mastery of Hebrew reading and knowledge of Jewish prayers and traditions. The Marsha Dane Stern Hebrew School at CSAIR strives to create a dynamic Jewish experience for all students and their families.

The first day of class will welcome the entire family and feature a brief service, introduction to the Hebrew School program and a social action project.

Prospective students and their families are invited to join us for opening day from
10:00 AM – Noon.

Safeguarding Our Children

In keeping with CSAIR's commitment to protecting children from abuse, a standing Child Protection Committee (CPC) has been established to oversee the development, implementation and monitoring of an ongoing child protection program at CSAIR. Safeguarding Our Children, A Child Protection Statement, our child protection policy, and other important and practical information about this effort can be found here.

The members of the committee include: Cliff Nerwen (Chair), Miriam Westheimer, Sandy Mislow, Rabbi Barry Dov Katz, Mason Voit and Abby Pitkowsky.

For any questions about Child Protection at CSAIR, contact the committee at childsafety@csair.org.

"SAVE THE DATE" Launch of CSAIR Adult Jewish Learning 2017-18 series

Many Migrations:
My Story as a Cuban Jew
Presented by professor and author Ruth Behar

On the Shabbat morning of September 16, 2017, University of Michigan Professor and MacArthur "Genius" Award winner Ruth Behar will speak about the history and current situation of the Jews of Cuba. She will also discuss her creative work as a novelist and poet bringing Jewish-Cuban stories, memories, and sensibilities into American literature.

Behar is a member of the Jewish Cuban diaspora and a longtime scholar of the Jewish community in Cuba. She will speak following a post-services Kiddush featuring authentic Cuban dishes. Her debut novel for young readers, Lucky Broken Girl, which tells the story of a Cuban-Jewish immigrant girl, is available for purchase at the shul office and can be autographed the Friday afternoon before the talk.

Mark Your Calendars for the 9th Season of Intimate Voices!

Our dates are set, and as we continue to work on artist and program details, we are happy to already tell you that Renée Jolles and James Wilson will return for the ninth straight season, and Carsten Schmidt (and one of his beautiful harpsichords) will join us in January for another wonderful Baroque evening. All this in our acoustically excellent home, the lovely CSAIR sanctuary - the perfect intimate venue for experiencing chamber music of all periods.

So save the dates; November 11, 2017, January 20, 2018 and March 3, 2018, and check our website at www.intimatevoices.org for more program and artist information coming soon. We look forward to another great season of world-class music in Riverdale.

- Sheila Reinhold

Adult Bat/Bar Mitzvah Course

Perhaps you never had the chance to ascend the bimah as a Bat or Bar Mitzvah. Maybe you did, but want to do it again, at a time in your life when you will appreciate your connection to Judaism in a different way.

On Wednesday evenings this fall, we hope to offer a course designed for adult learners of any age who want to have this experience. It will provide an in-depth study of the Jewish lifecycle, holidays, history, and core Jewish concepts. You will learn to chant from the Torah and participate in a Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony in Spring 2019.

No prior experience is necessary. If you need to learn/improve your Hebrew reading, we will work together to find a tutor/class who can help you. The class will be taught by Rabbi Katz, Cantor Stevens, and others. We would like to gauge interest. If you are interested, please reply to secretary@csair.org.

New Teen Learning Experience Set to Launch in Fall 2017

As we plan our new Teen Learning Experience to launch in Fall 2017, we are collecting information from families with teens who may be interested in participating. Please click here to learn more and let us know your child's interest via our quick survey.

It is our hope that teens will choose to participate in this new learning experience as well as volunteer as Project Chaverim Teen Fellows.

Please share this information with families of teens that may be interested. For more information, please contact Mason Voit, Education Director or visit our dedicated webpage.

Teen Volunteers Needed

CSAIR is looking for teen volunteers to help lead Shabbat morning activities for 8-11 year-old kids. Have a special interest or talent? Let's figure out how to make it into a Shabbat chug for kids. Email Mason Voit for more information.

HAVE SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE!
Do it with Kiddush at CSAIR!

Kiddush is a great way to celebrate these special moments with family, friends & colleagues. Co- sponsorships are available for Shabbatot & holidays.

For more information, contact Executive Director Jennifer Knobe or 718-543-8400.

More information is available here.

Friday, August 11, 2017
7:40 pm Candle lighting
7:00 pm Minha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Maariv
Backyard Davening

Saturday, August 12, 2017
9:00 am Shaharit
7:40 pm Minha/Maariv
8:40 pm Shabbat Ends