WES Committees

Our members are actively involved in a wide range of committee activities, from Social Action to Adult Education to our Book Club and haMinyan, and more.

For information about West End Synagogue's Committees, e-mail our administrator, Joan Erber office [at] westendsynagogue.org (subject: I'd%20like%20to%20find%20out%20about%20a%20WES%20committee) (here).

Bikkur Cholim Committee

The Bikkur Cholim committee reaches out to WES congregants facing health challenges. The committee provides friendly phone calls, visits, help with shopping, transportation to doctor appointments and more.
Chair: Susan Prager
 

Adult Education Committee

This committee plans a comprehensive schedule of programs that promote Jewish learning and foster creative Jewish living. Offerings cover Jewish history, culture and arts, Hebrew language, text study, Israel, and more. Our events -- courses, lectures, films, and author’s nights -- draw on a range of voices, including those of visiting speakers and Scholars-in-Residence. Whatever your Jewish interests, you’ll find something that appeals to you.
Chair: Tris Farnsworth & Irene Liberman
 

Social Action Committee

The activities of our Social Action Committee express our community’s deep commitment to tikkun olam, healing our broken world. The committee has expanded its mission to increase our participation/partnership in projects impacting the New York metropolitan area Jewish community and the NYC Metropolitan community as a whole. We are a participating congregation in Manhattan Together, a coalition of faith-based organizations committed to social justice in New York City, and hold annual Hunger Shabbat and Human Rights Shabbat programs.
The SAC engages our members in environmental projects and alerts them to topical social justice causes. WES members respond generously to our various food drives and collections which are thematically related to the holidays. In addition, we support Ethiopian-Israeli high school students with academic expenses and the NACOEJ lunch program.  Click here for current programs.
Chair: Jocelyn Jacobsen & Amy Chasenoff

Building Committee

The Building Committee manages the space, indoors and out, that we currently occupy. We are concerned both with technical aspects of minor and major building maintenance in the short and long term, and with making the building spaces multitask for us through thoughtful use of the square footage we have. Throughout, we keep in mind the comfort and aesthetics appropriate for our Reconstructionist house of worship.
Chair: TBA
 

Ritual Committee

The Ritual Committee is concerned with the conduct of all religious services of the congregation, offering advice and guidance to the clergy regarding the character and mode of the various services. Individual committee members also create innovative liturgy and encourage congregants to compose original prayers and poetry for use in services. The committee aims to maximize the engagement of our members in all aspects of the synagogue’s spiritual life, and to expand the circle of people actively planning and carrying out our religious services.
Chair: Miriam Baskin
 

Membership Committee

The Membership Committee seeks to attract and retain new members to our community. We welcome visitors to services as well as to all our programs. We hold open house Shabbat services each fall for prospective members and a new member Shabbat in December. Our goal is to attract, retain and grow a vibrant, diverse and committed membership.
Co-Chairs: Daniel Kligerman and Mayris Webber
 

Yachad/Chesed Committee

This committee plans social events for the synagogue, coordinates Chanukkah candle-lighting parties, and facilitates Passover seder arrangements for WES members.  A subcommittee also offers help with shiva arrangements.
Chair: TBD
 

Book Club

Meets 4 times a year. Books are selected by WES members and are usually novels with a Jewish theme.
Chair: Barbara Gish-Scult
 

Retreat Committee

The Retreat Committee plans all aspects of our community's annual retreat, including retreat themes, workshop proposals, children’s programming, inventive services and logistics.
Chair: Alfred Redd
 

Israel Connections Committee

The Israel Connections Committee expresses our community’s concern for and connections to the State of Israel. We provide programs and activities that include History of Israel and Zionism, current issues and developments facing Israel.
Chairs: Amy and Arnie Weintraub
 

Jewish Family Life & Learning (JFLL) Committee

The JFLL Committee acts as a lay-leadership advisory group for all JFLL programming. The committee is made up of those who have children in the JFLL program as well as synagogue members who do not.
Chair: TBD
 

HaMinyan

HaMinyan presents a lay-lead Kabbalat Shabbat service on the 5th Friday evening, in months where there is a 5th Friday (approximately 4x per year).
Chair: Susan Schorr
 

Early Childhood & Tot Shabbat

Development of activities and services to include the very young in synagogue life.
Chair: Marcia Weller

 

 

Contact

190 Amsterdam Avenue (at 69th Street)
New York, NY 10023
Phone: (212) 579-0777
Fax: (212) 579-2669
Email: office [at] westendsynagogue.org
Affiliated with the Jewish Reconstructionist movement, Reconstructing Judaism
 

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