Cantor Stefano Iacono on Shebrew in the City Podcast
When the echoes of Michael Jackson’s beats ignited a young Stefano Iacono’s love for music, little did he know it would pave his way to becoming a cantor. Join Nicole…
Rude ‘Awakenings’: Communal transformations in our time of crisis
By Rabbi Joshua Stanton, Rabbi Benjamin Spratt A year and a half ago, we published a book on the awakenings transforming Jewish life for the better. While we found that mainstay organizations…
CRS Teens Lobby at the US Capital in Washington, D.C.
We are so proud of our CRS teens who completed the L’Taken Social Justice Advocacy weekend in January with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism! They lobbied on Climate…
CRS In The News: A 35-foot challah in NYC attempts to break a Guinness World Record
New York City kitchens are notoriously small. Nonetheless, on Friday Congregation Rodeph Sholom on the Upper West Side unveiled a 35-foot-long challah that they and their partners hope will break…
In Solidarity: Rodeph Sholom Israel Trip
When we invited our congregation to join us for an information session on October 4th about next year’s intergenerational trip to Israel, the world looked very different than it does…
Landmark West • A Musical Connection: Senior Cantor Shayna De Lowe
“I catch Shayna’s attention in the golden-hued lobby of the historic synagogue of Congregation Rodeph Sholom, walking past a myriad of smiling children beaming with excitement on a Friday morning. She…
RABBI DAVID ELLENSON, z”l
Congregation Rodeph Sholom mourns the loss of our longtime, beloved member and teacher, Rabbi David Ellenson, devoted husband of Rabbi Jacqueline Koch Ellenson. The family will observe Shiva at Congregation…
Israel Emergency Fund – Support Kehillat YOZMA
With 81 hostages now released, many of us feel the growth of hope for the 160 still held in captivity. The tearful reunions with family and friends capture the power…
Holding Grief Alongside Vision
Dear Rodeph Sholom Family, I’m shattered most by the children. Israeli children slaughtered. Palestinian children used as human shields. The children of this congregation who feel abandoned in halls of…
In Solidarity With Israel
Over the past three weeks, we have felt horror and heartbreak, moving from massacre to war and to increasing antisemitism and abandonment in New York City and around the world….
CRS in the Press: The New York Times- At U.S. Synagogues, Calls for Peace and Too Many Emotions to Process
“What I needed to do was get out of my house and be with my community,” said Isabel Hochman, 23, who attended the Saturday morning Sabbath service at Congregation Rodeph…
Parshah Noach: Great Flood
Written by Joshua Rothstein I met David in May 2018 on my Birthright Trip to Israel. Like me, David is 26 and loves basketball, music, and ice cream. In fact,…
Israel at War: A Night of Solidarity in Learning, Prayer, and Action
As Israel’s war against the Hamas invasion unfolds, our concern and fear beg us to act. Your CRS Clergy invite you to a solidarity briefing of learning and prayer to strengthen…
Israel at War: Standing Together
This message was sent to the Rodeph Sholom community on October 7, 2023 The elders are gone from the gate, the youth from their music;The joy of our hearts has…
Welcoming New Jews
On Tuesday, September 6, Congregation Rodeph Sholom welcomed six new Jews to the People of Israel! We were honored to call them to the bima to lead our community in…
Shoshana Nambi Featured in a NY Jewish Week 36 To Watch
Our Rabbinic Intern Shoshana Nambi has just been named one of NY Jewish Week’s 36 To Watch 2023, honoring those who are making innovative contributions to the Jewish community. Since…
Announcing the 2023 CRS Israel Tzedakah Project Grant Recipients
Our congregation gives an annual grant to a worthy general Israel charitable organization and to an Israel Reform/Progressive movement (IMPJ) project/organization. This year’s general Israel recipient is Hillel : the Right to Choose. (This organization is unrelated to the…
Stories of Supporting Asylum Seekers
“As a child, I listened to the stories of my ancestors and their migration to America. They escaped persecution and poverty and hoped to find freedom and opportunity in our great…
Builders of Light • Rabbi Spratt’s Response to “National Day of Hate”
Builders of Light Rabbi Spratt’s Response to “National Day of Hate” This weekend, in synagogues around the world, we will read the details of the Tabernacle and the Jewish call…
Helping Turkish and Syrian Earthquake Victims
More than 46,000 people have been killed and thousands injured by the catastrophic earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria while, amazingly, rescue efforts are still ongoing. Now a humanitarian crisis,…
18Doors: Transforming Jewish Responses to Interfaith Marriage
A discussion between Rabbis Joshua Stanton and Benjamin Spratt, the Center for Radically Inclusive Judaism’s Edmund Case, and 18Doors’ Jodi Bromberg and Rabbi Robyn Frisch on current transformations in attitudes…
Syrian Response
Delivering shelter, food, clothing, healthcare, and hygiene items to aid Syrians whose lives have been disrupted by war: Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees
U.S. Southern Border
Uri L’Tzedek welcomes and supports asylum seekers in the Phoenix metro area: Uri L’Tzedek
New York Local Assistance for Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Here is a list of organizations in New York that are helping refugees and asylum seekers: – Emma’s Torch (Culinary Training for Refugees)- Hearts and Homes for Refugees- Met Council…
JBS: “In the Spotlight” – Rabbis Spratt & Stanton
Having taken an unsparing look at the landscape of Jewish life for their book Awakenings, Rabbis Benjamin Spratt & Joshua Stanton join Abigail Pogrebin to discuss what they see as…
CRS Supports Asylum Seekers
Congregation Rodeph Sholom is mobilizing to provide food, clothing, shelter and social services to asylum seekers who have recently arrived in New York City. We’d like to give you a…
Courageous Conversations: What Does Your Faith Say About Belonging to Each Other?
As we work to nourish a culture of belonging in our communities, how can faith be a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division? Courageous Community welcomes Eboo…
The Wisdom Daily / CLAL / 92NY / Fellowship in Prayer
Wisdom for Builders: Providing Jewish inspiration for those who build community, initiative, and social venture with Rabbis Benjamin Spratt, Joshua Stanton, and Joui Hessel. Read more here >
Rabbi Spratt at Religion News Service
Stories by Rabbis Spratt and Stanton surrounding the book, Awakenings: American Jewish Transformations in Identity, Leadership, and Belonging. Read here >
My Jewish Learning: Rabbi Without Borders
Sukkot and a New Ecosystem of Jewish Leadership by Benjamin Spratt and Joshua Stanton Read More Here.
Zioness Presents The New Jewish Awakening
Inspired, nimble religious organizations of all kinds are now retooling to meet the very different needs of American Judaism today. Zioness is a key example of this trend, in creating…
Opinion: Religion News
Bishop Robert Stearns wants to reinvent evangelicalism without leaving it behind. The pastor from western New York is one of a rising cohort of evangelical leaders who are looking beyond…
Principles of the Jewish Awakening
Our numbers are growing, American Jews burst with pride of identity – and yet many of our institutions remain in decline. This combination of circumstances is creating space for those…
Israel Operation Breaking Dawn Statement
A Message from our Clergy – August 10, 2022 As we approach Shabbat Nachamu, the Sabbath of Comfort and Consolation, we turn our hearts towards Israel. Following the IDF arresting…
American Jewish Experiences of Identity & Belonging
Springtide Research Institute’s Head of Community Engagement Marte Aboagye was joined by Rabbi Joshua Stanton and Rabbi Benjamin Spratt: co-authors of the just released book, “Awakenings: American Jewish Transformations in…
Community: Tablet
The New Jewish Awakening: Our obsession with the narrative of our community’s decline overlooks threads of optimism and opportunity by Benjamin Spratt and Joshua Stanton. Read the article here.
Book Review: The Jerusalem Post
American Jewry needs to wake up to new possibilities – book review: In contrast to the narrative of constant decline, two young American rabbis offer a powerfully positive and perhaps…
Rabbis Without Borders: My Jewish Learning
Commodifying Faith by Benjamin Spratt and Joshua Stanton Read the article here.
Tri-Faith Initiative: Awakenings with Rabbi Josh Stanton and Rabbi Ben Spratt
Join the authors of Awakenings: American Jewish Transformations in Identity, Leadership, and Belonging (https://www.amazon.com/Awakenings-Ame…, Rabbis Joshua Stanton and Benjamin Spratt, and Executive Director Wendy Goldberg as they dive into critical…
Senior Clergy Installation Response: The Story of Tonight
Senior Rabbi Ben Spratt and Senior Cantor Shayna De Lowe 5.20.2022 BEN: The story of tonight is really the story of this community. Ours is the story of two people…
Opinion: Haaretz
American Judaism Is in Decline. That’s Great News for American Jews: Synagogues closing, rising intermarriage, deepening denominational and political rifts: That’s one way to tell the story of today’s American…
Opinion: Daily Beast
Break Up America’s Clergy Cartel [God Is Not A Business]: We’re Reform rabbis who want more transparency for clergy contracts and fewer protectionist obstacles that keep good people from answering…
Talking to Our Children about Uvalde and Other Tragedies
Upon the tragedy in Uvalde, listen to Rabbi Spratt on the Exit Strategy Podcast as he discusses how we can best support, guide, and love our children through and beyond…
Turning Together in Heartbreak
We send our deepest condolences to the family and communities of Uvalde, Texas. May the tragedies that define these days move our hearts towards our highest sense of humanity, and…
Opinion: The Jerusalem Post
Judaism must learn to welcome outsiders to its traditions: Non-Jewish people should be able to explore Jewish traditions and elements without having to commit to converting by Benjamin Spratt and…
Review: Publishers Weekly
The future of American Judaism looks bright, contend rabbis Stanton and Spratt in their strong debut. The authors argue that the “seeds of a new Jewish awakening” lie with “those…
Opinion: eJewish Philanthropy
New Kinds of Growth: Edifice Rex by Rabbi Benjamin Spratt and Rabbi Joshua Stanton Read the article here.
Who’s ‘Really’ Jewish: the Sefardi Floridian, the Ashkenazi Californian, or the New York Jew By Choice? ‘Authenticity’ is a Trap | Religion Dispatches
“In mythologizing the look and sound of a ‘real’ Jew, and the feeling of the ‘real’ ritual, we diminish the depth and diversity of Judaism, and place Jewishness into narrow…
Opinion: Religion Dispatches
Who’s ‘Really’ Jewish: the Sefardi Floridian, the Ashkenazi Californian, or the New York Jew By Choice? ‘Authenticity’ is a Trap by Rabbi Ben Spratt and Rabbi Joshua Stanton. Read the…
A Reckoning by Lin Saberski
In March, 2022 70 congregants traveled to Georgia and Alabama on a Civil Rights Journey. Lin Saberski wrote about her experience on the trip, which was published in Monterey News…
Opinion: Close Campuses, Open Possibilities
The role of rabbis is not the same as it was in America a century ago. Our institutions should not look the same either. Now is the time for them…
Opinion: Religion News
An awakening is coming to American religion. You won’t hear about it from the pulpit: The future of American religion resides with innovative lay leaders who focus on empowerment, rather…
Opinion: Interfaith America
An Awakening is Coming to American Religion. You Won’t Hear About It From the Pulpit by Joshua Stanton and Benjamin Spratt Read the article here.
Meet Your Senior Clergy!
Rabbi Ben Spratt and Cantor Shayna De Lowe were featured on the Drinking and Drashing: Torah with a Twist podcast (Episode 219) on February 14.
Refugee Shabbat – March 2022
Written by Rabbi Benjamin H. Spratt RodNational Refugee Shabbat – March 4, 2022
Responding to the Crisis in Ukraine
Written by Rabbi Benjamin H. Spratt Responding to the Crisis in Ukraine As we look with horror and fear at the invasion of Ukraine, we bring awareness to this escalating…
A Message from Rabbi Spratt
Written by Rabbi Benjamin H. Spratt A Message from Rabbi Spratt Reform Movement Strongly Condemns Amnesty International Report February 3, 2022 Dear Rodeph Sholom Family, Jew-hate. From swastika graffiti to synagogue…
Welcoming Rabbi Mira Weller
We are pleased to welcome Assistant Rabbi Deborah Goldberg and Assistant Cantor Stefano Iacono, new members of our clergy team as of today.
Gratitude & Conviction
Dear Rodeph Sholom Community, We begin this day with gratitude. First and foremost, our gratitude that all four hostages, including our colleague Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, are now safe after 11…
We the People
We the People A Prayer for Our Country on January 6, 2022 Written by Rabbi Benjamin H. Spratt Our nation beganWith the right, the dutyTo throw off absolute despotismTo oppose…
Gratitude in Action
A Note from your CRS Clergy Team Dear Rodeph Sholom Family, The Hebrew word for “Judaism” is Yehadut, from the root hodah – gratitude. In namesake, thanksgiving is at the root…
Gratitude in Action
THE MEYER W. NATHANS SERVICE AWARD Erev Shabbat Service Friday, November 19 at 6:00 PM Please join us for this special Erev Shabbat Service as we honor Dr. Carlos Vaamonde…
A Special Announcement about Cantor De Lowe
A Message from CRS President Peter Ehrenberg Dear Rodeph Sholom family, I am delighted to provide you with additional news about our incredible clergy team. As you will recall, Cantor…
Remember and Reflect: Shabbat Shuvah and Commemorating 9/11
by Rabbi Ben Spratt, Senior Rabbi As we turn tonight to Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath of turning and returning, we hold these days of awe for reflection. This year, Shabbat…
Celebrate Sukkot and Simchat Torah 5782
JOYOUS CELEBRATIONS CONCLUDE OUR HIGH HOLY DAYS! SUKKOT MON, SEP 20 – WED, SEP 22, 2021 AboutSocial ActionResourcesRecipes We celebrate Sukkot to give thanks for the fall harvest. Meaning “booth,”…
Haiti and Afghanistan: We Can Help
It is not incumbent upon you to complete the work, but neither are you at liberty to desist from it.—Pirke Avot 2:21 Two disasters during the same period of time….
Welcoming Our New Clergy Interns
We are pleased to welcome Assistant Rabbi Deborah Goldberg and Assistant Cantor Stefano Iacono, new members of our clergy team as of today.
RABBI SPRATT in THE JEWISH WEEK
For Rodeph Sholom’s New Senior Rabbi, Judaism Is a Search for Belonging “I have always been searching for my place of belonging. I do feel I have found it here,”…
Pardes Learning Seminar Summer 2021
To learn more about the Pardes Learning Seminar program, which runs during the summer and winter, please visit www.pardes.org.il/seminar. Elaine Hochberg Where do I begin? I spent five days last week…
Welcoming Our New Clergy
We are pleased to welcome Assistant Rabbi Deborah Goldberg and Assistant Cantor Stefano Iacono, new members of our clergy team as of today.
RABBI LEVINE, WE CELEBRATE YOU!
It is with a profound mix of sadness and joy that we say goodbye to our Senior Rabbi, Robert Levine…We are grateful to you, our beloved Rebbe forever, as we…
A D’var Torah & Reflection by Eric Berman
“And we must resolve ourselves that our tomorrows must be better than our yesterdays.”
Eric Berman, member of the CRS Board of Trustees, shares his words of Torah as he…
Election of Rabbi Spratt as Senior Rabbi
It is with great pride that we celebrate the election of Rabbi Ben Spratt as our next Senior Rabbi. We are pleased to share this video of Rabbi Spratt’s Election…
Rabbi Levine To Be Honored in Manhattan Jewish Hall of Fame
Rabbi Robert Levine has been selected by The Manhattan Jewish Historical Initiative to be inducted into the 2020 Manhattan Jewish Hall of Fame!
Rabbi Benjamin H. Spratt
It is with great pride that we celebrate the election of Rabbi Ben Spratt as our next Senior Rabbi during the CRS Annual Meeting on May 18. Rabbi Spratt will…
CRS Celebrates Rabbi Levine
Save the date for a celebration of Rabbi Levine’s time at Congregation Rodeph Sholom.
Current Events in Israel & Prayers for Peace
The pursuit of peace starts with prayer and continues with education and engagement. The State of Israel is of essential importance to us as a Jewish community. We encourage every…
CRS x One Day University
Introducing a groundbreaking partnership to build Jewish community through wisdom in the most Jewish way possible—debate, discussion, dialogue!
Ranked Choice Voting: Why it Matters for NYC’s Historic 2021 Election
NYC’s historic 2021 election is fast approaching. With the introduction of ranked choice voting, nearly every city office in play, and hundreds of candidates on the ballot, the June primary…
CRS SPRING FOOD DRIVE
Please act now and donate to the CRS Food Drive at a level that is meaningful to you. We will quickly pass along all donated funds to WSCAH, Church of…
Pursuing Justice
Our Torah cries out eloquently and often for justice. In this week’s Torah portion, we are instructed: You shall not render an unfair decision. Do not show favor to the…
179th Annual Meeting & Town Hall
You are cordially invited to attend the 179th Annual Meeting of the Congregation to be held on Tuesday, May 18, 2021 at 7:00 PM. The agenda will include welcoming our…
CRS Reads: Round III
CRS Reads is Back!
After another successful round of reading and learning as a community we are diving into our next round with the book on the theme of racial…
Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut
Check out the upcoming programming for Israel Memorial Day and Israel Independence Day
Stop Asian Hate
We continue to witness the frightening surge of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders throughout our country. As elected officials and figures of prominence amplify racial slurs and…
Announcing Our New Clergy
It is our great pride and pleasure to announce that Deborah Goldberg will be joining Rodeph Sholom as Assistant Rabbi and Stefano Iacono will be joining Rodeph Sholom as Assistant…
Passover: Prepare for your Seder
For a compiled list of all things Passover-related, including recipes, craft projects, and online Hagaddot, be sure to check our Virtual Passover Portal.
Important News About Senior Cantor Rebecca Garfein
Today our President Peter Ehrenberg shared the news that Rebecca Garfein, our beloved Senior Cantor for the past 23 years, will be leaving Congregation Rodeph Sholom to pursue new opportunities…
COVID-19 Vaccinations: Request Support
CRS volunteers will help provide assistance in getting vaccine information, scheduling an appointment, and organizing transportation.
Support the Work of the Israel Committee
The Israel Committee chooses two organizations in Israel to receive donations from the CRS community, one within the Reform movement in Israel and one more broadly focused.
February is Jewish Disability Awareness Month
CRS joins the Jewish community to advocate effectively in support of people with disabilities to achieve maximum independence!
February Highlights
We are pleased to present interesting programs and special events that are happening virtually here at Congregation Rodeph Sholom.
Passover 2021: One Year Later
Last year at this time we were forced to close our temple doors due to the pandemic. But Passover was celebrated nonetheless! Our first virtual seder kept us together.
Mitzvah Day
In the true spirit of CRS, we will meet a new year with gratitude and good works, joining together on Zoom and on the streets of New York City to…
January Highlights
We are pleased to present interesting programs and special events that are happening virtually here at Congregation Rodeph Sholom.
Chanukah Events
Our full calendar of Chanukah events for 2020/5781
Chanukah Resources
Resources, readings, recipes, and more to help you share the light of this holiday.
Still engulfed in a tumultuous year filled with the threat of too much darkness, we can…
Thanksgiving and Judaism
In fact, Judah’s name carried such importance that it became the name for our people—Yehudim, Jews, literally, the grateful ones. How profound that at the root of what it means…