Teaneck—They are the largest Modern Orthodox synagogue in the state, say the people at Congregation Bnai Yeshurun, which was a key factor in making Teaneck the thriving Modern Orthodox community that it is. Located on the tree-lined streets of the West Englewood section of town, on the edge of the town’s northwestern quadrant, the shul has been a staple of Jewish life in Teaneck for 50 years.
“There’s a place for everyone and that’s the beauty of the shul,” says Daniel Gibber, a member of the Beis Medrash Committee at CBY. The massive shul has approximately 800 member and affiliate families.
President Steven Margulies and his family have been members of CBY for over 20 years. “It’s warm and inclusive for anyone looking to further his connection to community, Torah, and God,” said Margulies. Ironically, he gravitated to the shul not for its diversity but because he thought he wanted a place where people were just like him. These days the shul offers seven Shabbos morning minyanim with each having its own style and appeal—including recent additions of a vibrant young members’ minyan and a dynamic Moroccan minyan.
“I know just about every member’s name and do all I can to make myself available and responsive,” says Rabbi Steven Pruzansky of his congregants. These efforts go a long way towards allowing the shul to maintain a sense of community. Chaim Kiss, a member of CBY for 11 years, serves on a number of committees including the welcoming committee. “The welcoming committee,” says Kiss, “is made up of warm people who reach out and look out for those who are in need.” Kiss himself is effusive in his praise of the shul regularly using words like family, warmth, and chesed when talking about CBY.
The shul was founded on three principles: Torah, Tefillah, and Gemilus Chesed. “We are trying in any way we can to constantly add to the amount and quality of programming in each of those three areas,” says Margulies. In regards to chesed, he says the shul is made up of individuals who without being asked know what needs to be done and do unbelievable chesed. Kiss simply states, “The Chesed at our shul cannot be matched.”
CBY’s chesed committee is run by Betty Kay and Ofra Parmett. Both women have been on the chesed committee for 20 plus years. Both feel strongly about the need to perform chesed. Kay says, “When I put chesed into my day, I feel like I’ve accomplished something. Any chesed is important. It helps the world to function.” For Parmett, chesed is simply the right thing to do. “It’s what Hashem wants us to do. That alone is reason to do it.” The two women lead a committee made up of approximately 100 volunteers. Parmett says of the volunteers, “It’s inspiring when you call people, and they step forward without even knowing all the details. People are so eager to help.”
The chesed committee strives to meet whatever needs arise. Whether it’s preparing meals for an ovel, driving people to medical appointments, visiting shut-ins, or providing hospitality, or something else, the goal is to do it with dignity. The chesed committee also organizes a shmiras halashon program. Nearly 150 women from the shul and beyond take upon themselves to be particularly careful with loshon hara. The mitzvah is intended to be in the merit of someone who is in need of a refuah. Men do the same, with a focus on refraining from talking during davening. Unless you have had occasion to use the committee’s services, you may not be aware of the scope of its activities. That’s okay; its members are content to operate behind the scenes.
Tefillah, another of the shul’s principles, is a constant. “The people’s commitment to tefillah on a daily basis from morning to night is inspiring,” says Rabbi Pruzansky. He adds, “People who daven at our shul are quite gratified at our level of tefillah.” Margulies says up to 25% of the crowd at CBY weekly minyanim are not members, something he attributes to the breadth of minyanim times. “We welcome all of those individuals with open arms, and we get a great amount of joy and satisfaction in being able to be such a resource to the local and broader community,” says Margulies.
What truly distinguishes CBY is the commitment of the shul to be a Makom Torah. That commitment begins with the Beis Midrash program. Steve Katz created the program 17 years ago that was then developed by Jackie Feigenbaum and Henry Orlinsky. Orlinsky, who credits Dr Yitzchak Belizon, z”l, as one of the keys in ensuring the Beis Midrash’s early success says, “Our complex Beis Medrash is one of a kind and gives CBY its unique character.”
The Beis Midrash has thousands of seforim and a website (bcbm.org) and it has distributed over 120,000 CDs for free to members of the shul over the years. However, what truly makes a Beis Midrash is people learning. “From 5:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., you can find people learning in a yeshiva-like environment,” says Gibber who helps run the program. Gibber is one of the first ones at the Beis Midrash as he is one of the 25-plus people who regularly attends the 5:30 a.m, daf yomi shiur.
From 8 p.m.-10 p.m. there are chavrusahs and chavurahs going on. The program was announced in the fall. People were encouraged to find a topic they wanted to learn about and form a group. The group, or chavurah, would then be assigned a rabbinical authority to lead a weekly learning session. Margulies notes that all the slots are filled at this point, but anyone is welcome to sit in on a chavurah. The chavurahs cover all sorts of topics, but if you can’t find a topic you want, “The committee works tirelessly to find learning opportunities for those who request it,” says Margulies.
Danny Saks who is on the committee talked about the programs for youth, like the Manny Freed, z”l, Parent/Child Learning Program for children 3-12. It’s an opportunity for parents to learn with their children and regularly draws 100-plus kids. In summer they learn on Shabbos, and in the winter, they learn on motzei Shabbos. Rabbi Zahtz speaks, a raffle is drawn. There are prizes and pizza. Saks says the fun parent and child have provides “an opportunity to create memories learning Torah with your child.”
There are daily shiurim, a summer kollel, a morning kollel, and a night kollel. “It’s a full smorgasbord for the serious Jew,” Gibber says of the massive amount and variety of learning opportunities.
Yes, there are certainly many opportunities to get involved at CBY. However, the shul is not content to stay as it is. “We are always trying new things and vary offerings to keep it fresh. We want the shul to fulfill the members’ aspirations,” says Rabbi Pruzansky. So, make sure to stop by CBY, you’re sure to find something that suits you.
By Larry Bernstein
