The East Midwood Jewish Center will be among the hundreds of synagogues across the country participating in The National Jewish Outreach Program’s Shabbat Across America, May 4, 2007.

Shabbat Across America, now in its eleventh year, is a program whose goal is to enable every Jew in North America to celebrate Shabbat together with prayer, a festive dinner, song, and discussion.

EMJC’s participation in Shabbat Across America will replace this month’s congregational Rosh Hodesh dinner, but will follow the same format, with the added involvement of students from our Talmud Torah and the East Midwood Hebrew Day School. Kabbalat services will begin at 6:00 pm in the Main Sanctuary and will be conducted by Rabbi Kass and Cantor Levine, with children from the Day School and Talmud Torah contributing to the service. A festive Sabbath meal will follow the service. The EMJC Children’s Chorus will perform for us, and there will be planned activities for children.

Everyone is invited and encouraged to take part in this display of national unity and Ahavat Yisrael. Bring your friends, neighbors, children, and grandchildren. Pick up a dinner reservation form in the Center lobby, or for more information call the Center office, 718-338-3800.

by Rabbi Alvin Kass.

It would be impossible to overstate the important role Jenny Brooks played in the intellectual life of the East Midwood Jewish Center. She had an amazing rapport with teenagers. No matter how many years passed, she never lost the gift of being able to communicate with the young. Most of us who are parents and often found ourselves terribly frustrated when our children went through the teen years, watched in awe at the ease of her interaction with them. No wonder she was so successful attracting post Bar and Bat Mitzvah young men and women to continue with their Judaic studies. Our Talmud Torah high school under her tutelage attracted Jewish young people from all over Brooklyn.

Her adult education classes at East Midwood were also legendary. What an amazing pedagogue! Erudite, articulate, and enthusiastic, her passion for learning was contagious. She had a special gift for demonstrating the relevance of past events to the present. The students were able to express their opinions without restraint.

When East Midwood went through particularly tough times a few years ago, Jenny refused to take salary for her services. For her, money was secondary to the all-important goal of serving God and the Jewish community.

From a personal point of view, Jenny was a dear friend to both Miryom and me. She was on the phone with Miryom many times a week to discuss the high school. We shared an office together in the school building. My children’s picture proudly decorated her desk. After graduating from the high school, my children taught on the faculty of the high school. They learned so much from her and she became a warm personal confidante to them and their families.

She was productive and creative to the very end, making the transition from this world to the next doing God’s work as an educator.

All of us at East Midwood are saddened by her departure and we want to extend our heartfelt sympathies to her family. We want them to know that she was also a part of our family and we pray that her memory will always be a source of blessing to them and that her soul will be bound up in the bond of eternal life.

Dear Members and Friends,

It is with great pleasure that the East Midwood Jewish Center announces that our 83rd Annual Journal Dinner Dance will be held on Sunday, June 3, 2007 at 5:00 p.m. Our honorees this year reflect the past, present and future of the synagogue - they are Cantor Sam Levine, longtime members Phyllis and Joseph Rothstein, and our historian Toby Sanchez.

Cantor Sam Levine began his affiliation with EMJC in 2002. He is a graduate of the H.L. Miller Cantorial School and the Seminary College of Jewish Music at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He initiated and directs the EMJC Adult and Children's Choruses. In addition, he composes and arranges music for the synagogue, and writes and records original songs. He is a performer at our Club Oasis and throughout the metropolitan area. Cantor Levine lives in Brooklyn with his wife Courtney and their son Micah.

Phyllis and Joe Rothstein have been members of EMJC for 50 years. Joe has been a trustee for many years, and as a result of his perseverance over the past nine years, our synagogue received historic designation. Phyllis taught in our Day School and is active with the Adult Institute. They both contribute and participate in numerous aspects of synagogue life. They, their children and grandchildren represent three generations at EMJC.

Toby Sanchez has been a member of EMJC since 1990. Putting her professional research and grant writing expertise to use, Toby was instrumental in gaining historic designation for EMJC. Her efforts have earned her the title of EMJC Historian. She is also a driving force on the Interfaith Committee.