We have an opportunity to apply for a UJA grant to fund an educational inclusion initiative at ACI. This would allow us to provide specialized teachers, smaller group instruction, and training. We need someone with grant writing chops to help us write and manage the application. The deadline is May 1, so time is of the essence! If you're interested (or know someone who might be), please reach out to Joanna Muenz.

Join us for Kabbalat Shabbat – a Friday night service for the entire congregation – on April 24th. The event is open to all. Following services, join us for Kiddush.

Kabbalat Shabbat: 6:30 PM | Kiddush: 7:30 PM

We ask you optionally RSVP here, if you’re able in advance.

We Swear This Won’t Be Weird…

Synagogues are wonderful — but they’re not always designed for deeper connection on a first (or fifth) visit.

If you’ve been coming to ACI off and on and would like to actually get to know people, join us for this 90-minute Zoom gathering. We’ll slow things down, move beyond small talk, and create space for real conversation — one-on-one and in small groups.

You don’t need to be a member. You don’t need to know anyone. Just come as you are.

Open to everyone.

Where: Zoom link provided after registration
When: Monday, May 11 from 8-9:30pm

This May we are thrilled to partner once again with Hadar’s Project Zug to offer ACI members a wonderful opportunity to deepen your Jewish learning with curated, text-based courses designed to spark rich discussion. Power and money introduce tricky dynamics and complicated moral questions into professional and personal relationships. In this course, we'll be exploring the effects of influence and how Jewish sources might advise us to respond when navigating relationships with power imbalances. We'll explore questions like: when do we speak up and when do we stay silent? When do we speak truth to power and when do we flatter to avoid conflict? What moral standards should we require from those in power and what happens when they fail to meet those standards?

The class will meet four times (virtually) on Wednesdays in May (6, 13, 20, & 27) from 8:00-9:30 pm ET. The class is free for ACI members, with a suggested donation of $36 for non-members.

Spend Shabbat with neighbors across Western Queens! ACI's Shabbat Meal Swap connects people who want to host or be hosted for a Shabbat dinner in someone's home. No membership required; all are welcome.

Sign up to host or be hosted on any Shabbat between May 1-June 26. We'll match you with dinner partners and connect you to coordinate a date. The form takes just 2–3 minutes.

Sign up by April 24 at 5:00 pm.

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, 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?

This week in Hebrew school, in honor of Yom HaShoah, our older students had the meaningful opportunity to hear a powerful presentation from guest speaker Herb Friend. He shared the story of his mother, Pearl, and grandmother—both survivors—and spoke about his parents, Pearl and Philip Friend, helping students connect personally to this history. It was a moving experience that deepened their understanding of resilience and remembrance. Our younger students focused on practicing Hebrew letters, building their comfort and confidence with the alef-bet. They also reviewed Shabbat and began looking ahead with excitement as we introduced next week’s Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration.