Rabbi Berel Wein to Visit Congregation Beth Abraham in Bergenfield

On Shabbos, May 16, Rabbi Berel Wein will be visiting Congregation Beth Abraham in Bergenfield. He will speak multiple times on Shabbos day.

Rabbi Wein has had a long career and been involved in a number of different ventures. Rabbi Wein was a practicing lawyer before turning to the rabbinate. He served as a pulpit rabbi at two shuls. He was the Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union and was Rabbinic Administrator of the Kashrus Division for five years after that. Rabbi Wein founded Yeshiva Shaarei Torah in Suffern, NY and remained its Rosh Hayeshiva for 20 years. In 1996, he became the founder and director of the Destiny Foundation.

Beth Aaron Welcomes Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb as its Scholar-in-Residence

Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb will be the Scholar-in-Residence at Congregation Beth Aaron of Teaneck on the weekend of May 15–16. Rabbi Gottlieb will speak once on Friday night and multiple times on Shabbos day.

Rabbi Gottlieb, who received his rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University, made aliyah in 2010. He is the rabbi and co-founder of www.GaneiHaela.com, a new community planned for the suburbs of Ramat Beit Shemesh. Since moving to Israel, Rabbi Gottlieb has taught at a number of yeshivot and seminaries and has also been commissioned by OU Press to write a book about the laws of Yom Tov. In addition to co-editing two rabbinic journals, Rabbi Gottlieb is the author of Ateret Yaakov, a book of in-depth essays about a wide range of halachic topics.

Rabbi Gottlieb’s topic on Friday night will be “Talking to the Shepherd: What Does Being Religious Really Mean?” On Shabbat morning, he will speak on “Nosei bi-‘Ol im Chavero’: Finding Your True Self Through Identifying with Others.” Later, on Shabbat, the topic will be “From Rabbi Akiva’s Students to Contemporary Israel: Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?” and between Mincha and Maariv, he will speak on “Elu v-Elu: Halachic Pluralism and the Search for Truth.”

JLE Pre-Shavuot Lecture: The Shavuot Expulsion of 1915

This Shavuot marks 100 years since one of the most severe expulsions of Jews since Roman times. On Shavuot 1915, during World War I fighting on the Eastern front, over 200,000 Jews of Lithuania and Courland were ordered by the Russian Military high command to immediately evacuate their homes. Forced into dire circumstances, the exiles desperately sought and received assistance from Jewish communities. Some of these communities would soon face the same fate as well. Join Professor Larry Domnitch for a Jewish Learning Experience lecture on Monday night, May 18, at 8:00 p.m. at Congregation Rinat Yisrael.

Community-Wide Adult Learning Program on Shavuot

There will be a community-wide Afternoon Adult Learning Program on Shabbat and both days of Shavuot. The following shuls will be participating: Congregations Keter Torah, Beth Abraham, Beth Aaron and Bnai Yeshurun.

The shiurim will be delivered by TABC’s Judaic Studies Faculty. The theme of the shiurim is Kavod. Rabbi Ezra Wiener and Rabbi Nosson Rich will deliver shiurim at Keter Torah on Shabbat. On the first day of Shavuot, Rabbi Yaakov Blau and Rabbi Steven Finkelstein will deliver shiurim at Beth Abraham. On the second day of Shavuot, Rabbi Yoni Mandelstam and Rabbi R’ Josh Kahn will deliver shiurim at Beth Aaron. In addition, on the second day of Shavuot, Bnai Yeshurun will feature shiurim by Rabbi Yosef Adler and Rabbi Chaim Jachter.

To learn the complete schedule and dedication information, visits tabc.org/Shavuot.

Rebbetzin Yehudis Samet to Speak at Beth Abraham

On Tuesday, May 19, at 8:30 p.m., the sisterhoods of Congregations Beth Abraham and Bnai Yeshurun are co-sponsoring an event to welcome Rebbetzin Yehudis Samet from Israel. Samet will be speaking at Beth Abraham.

She will be addressing the mitzvah of “Honoring Parents: It’s Not Just Child’s Play—The Adult Child/Parent Connection.”

Rebbetzin Samet is the author of It Wasn’t How It Seemed. In her book, Rebbetzin Samet teaches how to look for the truth, instead of the obvious. Critics say she does it in a very enjoyable way, through a wealth of stories that have surprise endings.

Conference Presented by Yeshiva University’s Straus Center

A conference, titled “What America Owes the Jews, What Jews Owe America” will be held on Sunday, May 31, at Congregation Shearith Israel, in Manhattan. The conference is presented by Yeshiva University’s Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought, in partnership with Mosaic and the Tikvah Fund.

Participants include Professor Jonathan Sarna, Professor Eric Nelson, author and teacher Dara Horn, author and former editor-in-chief of Commentary Norman Podhoretz, author Rick Richman and director of the Straus Center, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik. The event will be moderated by William Kristol, political commentator and editor of the Weekly Standard.

The conference will take place from 4 p.m.–8:30 p.m. and include a light dinner and author conversation portion with Rabbi Soloveichik and Dr. Sarna, who will discuss his new book,Lincoln and the Jews (Thomas Dunne Books, 2015). Complimentary copies of the book will be available following the program. A $30 donation is suggested at the door. To RSVP, email [email protected].