Westchester Jewish Center

We are delighted to announce this year's very special Saturday evening eventour concert with famed singer/composer Neshama Carlebach, and wife of our scholar-in-residence Rabbi Menachem Creditoris now open to all at WJC! A six-time entrant in the Grammy Awards and winner and four-time nominee in the Independent Music Awards for her most current release, Believe, Neshama has performed for sold-out audiences in cities around the world. With over one million records sold, Neshama is one of the today’s best-known, best-selling Jewish artists. Thanks to the generosity of WJC members Shari and Joel Beckman, we are delighted to welcome Neshama Carlebach as part of WJC’s 2021 Scholar-In-Residence Weekend on Saturday evening, February 6th at 6:00pm. Register now: https://www.wjcenter.org//scholar-in-residence-weekend-20/

Join us Sunday, January 24 at 11:00am for an exclusive WJC virtual program with Dawn Porter, director and producer of the film John Lewis: Good Trouble. Porter will be interviewed by journalist and WJC member Kostya Kennedy. Few film directors offer as much insight into the battle for equal rights as Dawn Porter, as she cinematically portrays the story of the late John Lewis, congressperson and activist. Lewis helped organize the March on Washington, played a key role in ma...ny civil rights actions leading to the end of segregation, and remained an activist until his death last summer. He was also a steadfast and outspoken friend of Israel and American Jews. As we grapple with our role as individuals and as a Jewish community in the current battle for racial justice, this film discussion is one of many essential steps in our journey. To learn more, view the Zoom link, or register to receive access for a free viewing of the film, please visit https://www.wjcenter.org//john-lewis-good-trouble-a-viewi/

When we study Va-Era we tend to focus on Pharaoh's hard heart, but perhaps the state of a "numb heart" is even worse. This weekend's Torah Talk explores the dangers of a numb heart and how we may be suffering with our own numb hearts today. Click below to watch!

Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Arnowitz, who writes: This week in Parshat Va-Era we begin reading about the plagues that God brought upon Egypt, including a couple kinds of diseases like boils and cattle disease. As the number of COVID-19 related deaths soar to Biblical (or at least Medieval) levels, these plagues are hitting a little close to home. Though it is hard to believe that a disease can wreak such devastation in the modern era and in such a prosperous nation, contempora...ry medicine has at least given us a way to see light in the future with the unprecedentedly rapid discovery of vaccines to protect against the disease. It is a wonderful miracle that the vaccine is available, but unfortunately, information about the vaccine and registering to receive it can be confusing. I am sharing the following current information in hopes that it helps (shout out to Kol Ami in White Plains for compiling this information first) and if you need help signing up for a COVID Vaccine (it isn’t such a simple process)let us know. We have people here who want to help you! Read more: https://www.wjcenter.org/news-a/shabbat-shalom-va-era-2021/

In this month's Review, Rabbi Dalton shared: "January and the month of Shvat contain one of my favorite stories in the Torah. This month, we close out the book of Genesis and make our way into the book of Exodus, and with it the story of Moses and the children of Israel. My favorite part of the story comes after the Israelites have been struggling for some time, after God and Moses have already met and started their relationship." Read more: http://ow.ly/rH3M50D8Loh

Our members have the opportunity to view the 2020 Critics’ Choice Award winner for best documentary, John Lewis: Good Trouble at no cost for a 48-hour period between Saturday, January 23, at 3:00pm and Monday, January 25, at 3:00pm. To receive the link to watch the documentary, sign up now: https://www.wjcenter.org//john-lewis-good-trouble-a-viewi/ Check out the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_oEkOdIXdo