Rabbis on the Road: OU’s Teshuva Program Expands Nationally, 9/23

10 Sep 2012

EXPANDING TO A NATIONAL PROGRAM, OU’S ‘REFLECTIONS ON TESHUVA’ ONCE AGAIN HAS RABBIS CHANGING PLACES BEFORE YOM KIPPUR

Call it “Rabbis Changing Places,” call it “Rabbis on the Road,” call it “Bima to Bima,” or call it simply, “Reflections on Teshuva,” but once again this year, in a program that began in 2005, some of the New York area’s most distinguished pulpit rabbis will exchange places on September 23, the Sunday before Yom Kippur, to provide their “Reflections on Teshuva,” an Orthodox Union signature High Holy Day program. In many cases, the rabbis will be visiting synagogues in their own or neighboring communities.

This year, for the first time, the program has been extended beyond the New York Metropolitan Area to include Harrisburg and Allentown in Pennsylvania, as well as another pairing in the Philadelphia suburbs; Denver; Chicago/Skokie; and in Canada, Toronto and Montreal.

The sessions (with the exception of one pairing in Illinois and one in Pennsylvania) will take place between Mincha and Maariv. Teshuva means “repentance” and is the central theme of the Yamim Nara’im – the Days of Awe — encompassing Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Reflections on Teshuva is a program of the Orthodox Union’s Department of Community Services | Jewish Community Programs. According to Frank Buchweitz, OU National Director of Community Services and Special Projects, “This unique arrangement will allow these experienced and always stimulating rabbis to share profound thoughts on a profound subject – teshuva — with new audiences. The period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is a time of personal introspection and this OU program will present a unique opportunity for communities to hear from visiting rabbis to supplement what they have learned from their own shul’s Rav.”

“Hannah Farkas, Program Associate in the Department of Community Services, ably coordinated the intricate scheduling of the program,” he said.

Hannah explained why the program has been expanded beyond the New York area. “The Reflections on Teshuva program has been expanded to benefit Jewish Communities on a national level as a result of an overwhelmingly positive response from congregants and rabbis alike. The success of the program and interest and feedback from previous years has enabled this initiative to evolve and now includes more than 45 rabbis in 14 communities across North America.” She noted further that “OU and non-OU shuls are participating in this worthwhile initiative.”

The schedule is as follows:

Brooklyn:

Rabbi Etan Tokayer: Rav, Kingsway Jewish Center
will be @ Young Israel of Flatbush
1012 Avenue I

Rabbi Kenneth Auman: Rav, Young Israel of Flatbush
will be @ Kingsway Jewish Center
2810 Nostrand Avenue

New Jersey:

Rabbi Benjamin Yudin: Rav, Congregation Shomrei Torah, Fairlawn, NJ
will be @ Mount Sinai Jewish Center
135 Bennett Avenue, Manhattan

Rabbi Ezra Schwartz: Rav, Mount Sinai Jewish Center
will be @ Congregation Shomrei Torah
19-10 Morlot Avenue, Fairlawn

Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler: Rav, Congregation Ahawas Achim B’nai Jacob and David
will be @ Congregation Ahavat Achim,
18-25 Saddle River Road, Fairlawn

Rabbi Uri Goldstein: Rav, Congregation Ahavat Achim
will be @ Congregation Ahawas Achim B’nai Jacob and David,
700 Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange

Rabbi Steven Miodownik: Rav, Ahavas Achim Congregation
will be @ Congregation Ahavas Yisrael
1587 Route 27, Edison

Rabbi Gedaliah Jaffe: Rav, Congregation Ahavas Yisrael
will be @ Ahavas Achim Congregation
216 South 1st Avenue, Highland Park

Manhattan:
Rabbi Ezra Schwartz: Rav, Mount Sinai Jewish Center
will be @ Congregation Shomrei Torah
19-10 Morlot Avenue, Fairlawn, NJ

Rabbi Benjamin Yudin: Rav, Congregation Shomrei Torah, Fairlawn, NJ
will be @ Mount Sinai Jewish Center
135 Bennett Avenue

Rabbi Dovid Cohen: Rav, Young Israel of the West Side
will be @ Congregation Ohab Zedek
118 West 95th Street

Rabbi Allen Schwartz: Rav, Congregation Ohab Zedek
will be @ Young Israel of the West Side
210 West 91st Street

Rabbi Moshe Grussgott: Rav, Congregation Ramath Orah
will be @ Congregation Ohav Shalom
270 West 84th Street

Rabbi Aaron Mehlman: Rav, Congregation Ohav Shalom
will be @ Congregation Ramath Orah
550 West 110th Street

Rabbi Aryeh Sokoloff : Rav, Kew Gardens Adath Yeshurun Synagogue
will be @ Bialystoker Synagogue
7-11 Bialystoker Place

Rabbi Zvi Romm: Rav, Bialystoker Synagogue
will be @ Kew Gardens AdathYeshurun Synagogue
82-17 Lefferts Boulevard, Kew Gardens

Monsey, NY:

Rabbi Joshua Blass: Rav, Kehillas Beis Yehuda of Monsey Hills
will be @ Young Israel of Monsey and Wesley Hills
58 Parker Blvd, Monsey

Rabbi Yisroel Gottlieb: Rav, Congregation Bais Torah
will be @ Community Synagogue of Monsey
89 West Maple Avenue

Rabbi Dr. Moshe D. Tendler: Rav, Community Synagogue of Monsey
will be @ Congregation Bais Torah
89 West Carlton Road, Suffern

Long Island:
Rabbi E. Samuel Klibanoff: Rav, Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach
will be @ Eitz Chayim of Dogwood Park
661 Dogwood Avenue, West Hempstead

Rabbi Efrem Schwalb: Rav, Eitz Chayim of Dogwood Park
will be @ Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach
100 Nassau Avenue

Rabbi Jonathan Muskat: Rav, Young Israel of Oceanside
will be @ Great Neck Synagogue
26 Old Mill Road

Rabbi Dale Polakoff : Rav, Great Neck Synagogue
will be @ Young Israel of Oceanside
150 Waukena Avenue

Rabbi Yehuda Septimus: Rav, Young Israel of North Woodmere
will be @ Young Israel of Lawrence- Cedarhurst
8 Spruce Street, Cedarhurst

Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum: Rav, Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst
will be @ Young Israel of North Woodmere
634 Hungry Harbor Road

Westchester/Riverdale:

Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Rosenblatt: Rav, Riverdale Jewish Center
will be @ Young Israel of Scarsdale
1313 Weaver Street

Rabbi Jonathan Morgenstern: Rav, Young Israel of Scarsdale
will be @ Riverdale Jewish Center
3700 Independence Avenue, Riverdale

Rabbi Shmuel Hain: Rav, Young Israel Ohab Zedeck of North Riverdale
will be @ Hebrew Institute of Riverdale
3700 Henry Hudson Parkway

Rabbi Steven Exler: Rav, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale
will be @ Young Israel Ohab Zedeck of North Riverdale
6015 Riverdale Ave

Queens:

Rabbi Aryeh Sokoloff : Rav, Kew Gardens AdathYeshurun Synagogue
will be @ Bialystoker Synagogue
7-11 Bialystoker Place, New York

Rabbi Zvi Romm: Rav, Bialystoker Synagogue
will be @ Kew Gardens Adath Yeshurun Synagogue
82-17 Lefferts Boulevard, Kew Gardens

Rabbi Lawrence Teitelman: Rav, Young Israel of New Hyde Park
will be @ Young Israel of Hollis Hills-Windsor Park
67-45 215th St, Hollis Hills

Rabbi Barry Kornblau: Rav, Young Israel of Hollis Hills-Windsor Park
will be @ Young Israel of New Hyde Park
76-48 265th Street

Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld: Rav, Young Israel of Kew Garden Hills
will be @ Young Israel of Forest Hills
71-00 Yellowstone Boulevard

Rabbi Yehuda Oppenheimer: Rav, Young Israel of Forest Hills
will be @ Young Israel of Kew Garden Hills
150-05 70th Road

And Outside of the New York Area:

Colorado:

Rabbi Ben Greenberg: Rav, BMH-BJ Congregation
will be @ Denver Academy of Torah
6825 Alameda Avenue

Rabbi Hillel Goldberg: Rav, East Denver Orthodox Synagogue
will be @ BMH-BJ Congregation
560 South Monaco Parkway

Rabbi Asher Klein: Rav, Denver Academy of Torah
will be @ East Denver Orthodox Synagogue
198 South Holly Street

Pennsylvania:

Rabbi David Wilensky: Rav, Congregation Sons of Israel
will be @ Kesher Israel Congregation
2500 North Third Street, Harrisburg

Rabbi Akiva Males: Rav, Kesher Israel Congregation
will be @ Congregation Sons of Israel
2715 Tilghman Street, Allentown

Rabbi Dov Aaron Brisman: Rav, Young Israel of Elkins Park
will be @ Congregation Beth Hamedrosh
200 Haverford Road, Wynnewood

Rabbi Yonah Gross (speaking during Shacharit): Rav, Congregation Beth Hamedrosh
will be @ Young Israel of Elkins Park
7715 Montgomery Avenue

Illinois:

Rabbi Aaron Liebtag (speaking during Shacharit): Rav, Kehilath Jacob Beth Samuel
will be @ Congregation Or Torah
3800 West Dempster Street, Skokie

Rabbi Zvi Engel (speaking during Schacharit): Rav, Congregation Or Torah
will be @ Kehilath Jacob Beth Samuel
3701 W. Devon Avenue, Chicago

Rabbi Samuel Biber: Rav, Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob Synagogue
will be @ Kehilat Chovevei Tzion
4000 Church Street, Skokie

Rabbi Shaanan Gelman: Rav, Kehilat Chovevei Tzion
will be @ Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob Synagogue
8825 East Prairie Road, Skokie

Canada:

Toronto:

Rabbi Chaim Strauchler: Rav, Shaarei Shomayim Congregation
will be @ Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto Congregation
613 Clark Avenue, West Toronto

Rabbi Daniel Korobkin: Rav, Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto Congregation
will be @ Shaarei Shomayim Congregation
518 Glencairn Avenue

Montreal:

Rabbi Michael Whitman: Rav, Adath Israel Poale Zedek Anshei Ozeroff
will be @ The Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal
4894 St. Kevin Avenue

Rabbi Schachar Orenstein: Rav, The Spanish Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal
will be @ Adath Israel Poale Zedek Anshei Ozeroff
223 Harrow Crescent, Hampstead

For further information on bringing this program to your community, contact 212-613-8351.

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