Rabbi Joshua Rabin

Cantor Emeritus George Lindenblatt

Judaism With Open Arms

Friday Flyer

February 6, 2026 • 19 Shevat, 5786

Tomorrow: Open Door Shabbat & Tot Shabbat

During services tomorrow, Rabbi Josh will be leading Open Door Shabbat, our monthly service where we slow down to explore the structure, meaning, and melodies of our prayers together.

Newcomers get a welcoming entry point (no Hebrew required!), and regulars get the chance to share in a close reading and intimate discussion about parts of the service we usually move through more quickly.

Tot Shabbat will also be meeting downstairs, and we'll gather afterwards for a light Kiddush. See you there!

More dates to remember:

February 28: Potluck Kiddush
March 1: Purim Party
March 8: Blood Drive
March 13: Centennial Shabbat Across America

Open Door Shabbat

Saturday, February 7

10:00 am Meditation
10:30 am Learning Service

Tot Shabbat
10:30-11:30 am

Doors open at 9:45; come early to schmooze. Join us after services for a light Kiddush!

Upcoming Shabbat Children's Programs

Tot Shabbat

10:30-11:30am

For preschool children

February 7 - TOMORROW!
February 21
March 7

Junior Congregation

10:30-11:30am

For school-aged children

~~February 7~~ RESCHEDULED to February 28
March 7

Download the full calendar as a PDF

Candle Lighting

Shabbat candle lighting time is tonight at 5:02 pm.

Havdalah will be Saturday at 6:03 pm.

This week's Torah reading is Yitro.

Looking for Your ACI Story!

As the Astoria Center of Israel celebrates 100 years of serving the Jewish community in Western Queens in 2026, we are inviting members of our community past and present to share their favorite moments and memories at the Center.

Over the course of the year, we will share your reflections — in emails to our community, on social media, on our website, and with the press — to tell the story of the many lives ACI has touched.

What’s your ACI story?

Fill out the form to share your favorite memories.

Next Monday: Our Stories, Our Choices: Jewish Experiences of Abortion

Join us for this special program in conjunction with the National Council of Jewish Women's Repro Shabbat. While religion is often portrayed as anti-abortion, the majority of religious people support abortion access, and 62% of abortion patients identify with a religious tradition. Professor Michal Raucher will join us for a Zoom discussion to share narratives from her research on Jews who have terminated pregnancies in the US. Together we'll explore what these experiences reveal about Jewish perspectives on abortion.

When: Monday, February 9, 2026, 8:00 PM

Where: Zoom (register below)

Learn More and Register

Join the ACI Book Club!

The Astoria Center of Israel Book Club will be launching in the next month or so, and we'd love your feedback as to when we might meet. The club will meet approximately every other month. Please complete the form here.

The first book will be A Rich Brew by Shachar Pinsker.

A Rich Brew explores the surprising and central role that cafés played in shaping modern Jewish culture from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. Literary scholar Shachar M. Pinsker argues that cafés across six major cities — Odessa, Warsaw, Vienna, Berlin, New York, and Tel Aviv — became vital “thirdspaces” where Jewish writers, thinkers, artists, and political activists met, debated, created, and exchanged ideas. More than just places to drink coffee, these social hubs helped foster creativity and community during a time of rapid urbanization and migration. Drawing on memoirs, archival documents, literature, and visual culture, Pinsker shows how café life influenced literature, politics, art, and theater and helped define what modern Jewish culture would become.

ONGOING PROGRAMS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Open Door Shabbat

Join the ACI community once a month for a no-experience-necessary Shabbat service, where we will explore the structure and meaning behind the prayer service. Learn more here. The next dates:

February 7 - TOMORROW!
March 14
April 11
May 9
June 6

Pathways to Judaism

ACI is offering an introduction to Judaism course via Zoom for those exploring Judaism or considering conversion. The Spring session will be held Thursday nights from February to June. Learn more and register here.

Rikers Island Services

ACI is partnering with the NY Jewish Coalition for Criminal Justice Reform to organize volunteer groups for worship services at Rikers Island - contact Litza Stark to participate or find out more.

This Week in Hebrew School

This week, we had a school-wide Tu B’Shvat celebration focused on Growth, Gratitude, Responsibility, and Community as students explored the “birthday of the trees” through hands-on learning. Classes rotated through four interactive stations where they tasted the Seven Species with blessings, played word based tree games, planted seeds, and created a beautiful “Roots & Branches” community mural. Just like trees grow with care, we grow when we care for one another and our world. We closed together with the song "Eitz Chayim/Tree of Life" and reflections with Rabbi Josh, reminding students that the Torah is like a "Tree of Life" because it gives us roots, guidance, and wisdom that help us grow.

Pastoral Requests

ACI is committed to serving our community’s needs. If you would like to inform the synagogue about a hospital visit or death, or request pastoral care for yourself or someone you know, please fill out this simple form. All submissions are confidential.

Do You Want to Pray for Someone Who Is Sick?

Each Shabbat at ACI, we recite a מי שברך לחולים, a prayer for those in our community who are sick and in need of healing. You are welcome to add anyone to the list, regardless of whether the person is Jewish or not. If you would like to add a name, please complete this form.

Support ACI's Mission

Help us continue to serve our community with meaningful programs, welcoming services, and a well-maintained sacred space. Donate Here.

Messages

In memory of my beloved grandfather, Harry Sklarosky, from Andrea Pack

In memory of my beloved father, Benjamin Reiff, from Alan Reiff

In memory of my beloved father, Cantor Richard Cohn, from Susan Cohn

In memory of my cherished cousin, Ellen A. Sherman, from Andrea Pack

In memory of my beloved brother, Harvey Weiss, from Phyllis C. Hanlon

In memory of my cherished friend, Sydelle Diner, from Susan Cohn

In memory of my beloved grandmother, Lena Sklarofsky, from Andrea Pack

In memory of my beloved mother, Rae Braunhut, from Helen Margolin

In memory of my beloved mother, Mae June Siegel, from Maxine Solvay

In memory of my beloved aunt, Martha Michaels, from Andrea Pack

In memory of my beloved grandmother, Jennie Schnee, from Phyllis Hanlon

In memory of my beloved mother, Rose Kosecoff Tifford, from Sara Jane Sherman

In memory of my beloved father, Harry Albert Tifford, from Sara Jane Sherman

In memory of my grandparents, Anna & Benjamin Pack, from Andrea Pack

In memory of my beloved Milton Siegel, from Sandra Roth

In memory of my cherished brother-in-law, Fred Stern, from Susan Cohn

Mi Sheberachs

Please keep the following people in your hearts and prayers for the blessing of r'fua sh'leima:

If you don't see a name here that you would like to be included, please submit it using the form here.

Aaron Vajda
Avram Michel Ben Sylvia V'Fred Wishnoff
Elizabeth Bruner
Eric David Laxman
Esther bat Chana
Faiga bat Feivel v’Leia
Gary Lefkowitz
Joel Tarlowe
Leah Chana bat Lena
Malcolm Mungo
Menachem Mendel Yonah Ben Beila V'Yakov
Michael Laster
Reynah Rosendorf
Rony Joel
Sarah Chana bat Zeesl v Dov-Beryl ben Rev Chaim HaLevi
Shalom ben Haim
Shandel Gittle bat Rifka
Shari Levin
Wilton Mungo
Zalman Mordechai Aaron ben Yehudit

Yahrzeits

This week (20 - 26 Shevat), we observe the yahrzeits of the following ACI members, family and friends. May their memories always be a blessing.

Nathan L. Gunsberg
Joseph Hartman
Lena Bailis
Milton Poretsky
Nathan B. Cohen
Jacob Schawelson
Max Kemp
Gertrude Schoerfeld
Jan Opoliner
Fannie Kupersmidt
Elsa Meyer
Betty Rothstein
Sara Friedman
Amelia Eisenberg
Millie Miller
Bella Segal
Isador Sipes
Lt. Clyde Stats
Mae June Siegel
Abraham Bernstein
Emma Weiner
Edward Saunders
Anna H Fox
Abraham C. Gottlieb
Dora Goldsmith
Leonard L. Bernstein
Dr. Alau A. Livingston
Moses M. Birnbaum
Isaiah Bronstein
Dora Rubinstein
Michael Freeman