(Courtesy of CBY) It was with joy and gratitude that Congregation Bnai Yeshurun came together last week for the inaugural Shabbat of Rabbi Elliot Schrier as its Mara D’atra.
It felt like a celebration, but it was also a day of thanksgiving to Hashem for bringing the congregation to that day. There were expressions of pride in the way the shul had conducted itself during an extraordinary and difficult period.
Rabbi Schrier comes to CBY from the Albert Einstein Synagogue, where he served as rabbi since 2016. Like Bnai Yeshurun, the Einstein community is diverse, and the rabbi worked to build a dynamic, vibrant and cohesive makom Torah. He is a graduate of Yeshiva University and received his semikha from RIETS, where he was a member of the Bella and Harry Wexner Semikha Honors Program.
Rebbetzin Rena Schrier is a manager on the operational excellence team at the Hospital for Special Surgery. She holds a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Columbia University School of Nursing, a master’s of business administration from NYU Stern School of Business and a master’s from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Judaic Studies. The rabbi and Rena are proud parents of Coby, Zecharia and Gavriel.
Inaugural festivities began on Friday night with an outdoor oneg complete with divrei Torah from the Bnai Yeshurun rabbinic leadership, Rabbi Schrier, Rabbi Ari Zahtz and Rabbi Yosef Weinberger; and uplifting zemirot led by Gabbai Rishon Chaim Kiss and accompanied by a cappella singers the Y-Studs led by Ari Mandelbaum. With more than 200 people in attendance, the beautiful singing could be heard for blocks away.
On Shabbat morning, Rabbi Schrier delivered his inaugural drasha to six of CBY’s Shabbat minyanim as part of his ambitious plan to become familiar with the culture of each of these unique services as rapidly as possible. Following davening, there was a CBY hallmark men’s club kiddush, at which hundreds of members had the opportunity to speak with both the rabbi and Rena and welcome them to the community.
Of course it would not have been Shabbat at Bnai Yeshurun without the Manny Freed, z”l, Parent Child Learning, at which Rabbi Schrier met dozens of children, before delivering his pre-Mincha shiur, “Aliyah Le-Regel: Seeking Inspiration by Inspiring Others.” Hundreds of members once again had an opportunity to mingle and hear from Rabbi Schrier at seudah shelisheet. Shabbat ended with a beautiful Havdalah led by the new Mara D’atra, accompanied by the Y-Studs, in a truly inspiring way to enter the month of Elul.
This jam-packed Shabbat was a wonderful welcome to the Schriers, but there’s more to come. Many varied activities are planned over the next several months with the goal of having Rabbi and Rebbetzin Schrier become integrated with the entire community in its diversity and allowing everyone to get to know them.
Many CBY members have contributed to the extensive planning of the inaugural Shabbat as well as upcoming activities including, but not limited to, the Rabbinic Integration Committee (chairs: Clive Lipshitz and Sari Sheinfeld and members: Steven Becker, Daniel Gibber, Sarah Guttmann, Chaim Kiss, Rochel Stechler and Avi Vogel), the CBY Men’s Club, and Seudah Shelisheet committee. Integral to the execution of these events as well are the numerous generous members who joined as sponsors.
This Shabbat also afforded Bnai Yeshurun an opportunity to express hakarat hatov to Rabbi Ari and Michal Zahtz and Rabbi Yosef and Aviva Weinberger, who guided CBY so ably through the past difficult months and who will continue to be pillars of the shul. Recognition was also extended to CBY Executive Director Elysia Stein and office staff, Elizabeth Naor and Galina Staroff, who dealt with unexpected challenges and facilitated so many complicated arrangements in such a dedicated way.
For more information about Congregation Bnai Yeshurun please visit www.bnaiyeshurun.org or contact [email protected].
