Temple Hatikva’s free High Holiday Services
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, S 44 EPTEMBER 13-19, 2019 BTR
Cantor Kyle Chery will blow the shofar to announce the arrival of Rosh
Hashanah. Photo courtesy of Temple Hatikva
At this time of the year,
when Jews around the world
take time to contemplate their
past actions in preparation for
the opening of ‘The Book of
Life’ on Yom Kippur, Temple
Hatikva welcomes all members
of the community to join
us for our free High Holiday
services.
Come and hear the soulful
sounds of Cantor Kyle Cherry
blowing the shofar, issuing a
wake-up call to announce the
arrival of the holiest days of
the Jewish year.
All Temple Hatikva High
Holiday services will be held
in the auditorium at Bronx
House, 990 Pelham Parkway
South. On Rosh Hashanah,
they will be followed by a light
Kiddush, where congregants
can enjoy a little challah, cake,
and conversation.
Temple Hatikva offers a
warm welcome all those of
the Jewish faith at our traditional,
yet modern, services
in Hebrew and English, and a
meaningful experience to all,
from those with no synagogue
background to those more observant.
Although all services at
Temple Hatikva are free of
charge, those wishing to attend
High Holiday services are
asked to make reservations by
email to templehatikva@aol.
com or calling (917) 819-2456,
so that suffi cient seating for
all services and Rosh Hashanah
refreshments can be arranged.
The services will begin, as
follows: Rosh Hashanah Services
will be held on Monday
and Tuesday, September 30
and October 1, starting at 10
a.m. The Yom Kippur Kol Nidre
Service on Tuesday evening,
October 8 will start at
7:30 p.m. On Wednesday, October
9, the Yom Kippur Morning
Service will begin at 10
a.m., followed by the Yizkor
Memorial Service at noon. After
a break, the congregation
will reconvene at 6 p.m. for the
Concluding Service.
“This time of year has always
been a good refreshing
point for our people,” said
Cantor Kyle Cherry. “It is
at this time when we are required
to stop and look at ourselves
and our surroundings
and say ‘what have I done to
make this happen? What can I
do to make it better?’ It also reminds
us that we are not alone
on this Earth to face our challenges
solo. We are all part of a
community and can stand together
to bolster each other to
face the hurdles life throws at
us, whether it is great storms
or cruel wars. We have each
other, forged by a long history
of a great people and tempered
by the teachings of the Torah.
And we always have Hashem
watching over us and subtly
guiding us to greater accomplishments.
So we gather together
and announce that fact
boldly with great blasts from
the Shofar!”
Following the holidays,
Temple Hatikva will resume
its both its monthly Shabbat
services and its Adult Education
series in October. Monthly
Shabbat services begin at 7:30
p.m. and are followed by a free
kiddush.
Adult Education sessions
are held on Sundays, from 10
a.m. to noon, from October
through May with a winter
weather hiatus in January
and February. They always include
a free breakfast of bagels
and cream cheese, dessert and
coffee sponsored by Shalom
Jewish Funeral Home, 1528
Castle Hill Avenue.
For further information
about Temple Hatikva programs,
check out our website
at www.templehatikva.com,
email templehatikva@aol.
com, or call (917) 819-2456.
BY MARY JANE MUSANO
Today’s children are our
future and so we must be very
careful to offer them the education
that will give them the
skills they need to become productive
members of our society.
Right now, I believe we are
failing miserably at the task.
I have worked as a teacher
and administrator in the south
Bronx and in the town of Rye.
I worked with the League of
Women Voters to start Rye’s
fi rst day care center after
working as a teacher and then
the executive Ddector of Belmont
Community Day Care
Center. Education has been
my lifelong passion. I have
worked with children, parents
and teachers of all ethnicities
and on all socio-economic levels.
I have learned that most
students, parents and teachers
want the same thing no matter
where they live, how much
money they have or what shade
their skin is.
When I hear that the mayor’s
School Diversity Group,
Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor
Carranza are proposing to
eliminate the Gifted and Talented
Programs in NYC in the
name of diversity it tells me
that they are taking the easy
way out. They have just proposed
the most racist solution
that will hurt not help all children.
The Gifted and Talented
Programs are working and
they can serve to uplift almost
any student that has the desire
to work hard at their studies,
attend school regularly, behave
and do whatever is necessary
to be a good student.
The thinking that because
there are not enough black
and brown students in these
programs means that these
successful programs must be
eliminated is just plain wrong.
Lowering standards will only
serve to hurt all students. It is
racist to suggest that black and
brown students cannot pass
the tests and do what is necessary
to gain admission to a
great school. I speak from experience
when I say that black
and brown students can and
will succeed if we believe they
can and give them the tools
they need. The premise of this
negative proposal is betting
that they cannot. This should
enrage anyone that cares about
education and children.
It is also racist to eliminate
schools that are helping white
and Asian students. We need
to see all children in the same
light. We need to believe that
all children can achieve excellence
and we need to commit to
doing what is necessary to give
every child the opportunity to
be lifted up so that they can
compete.
The proposal to eliminate
the Gifted and Talented Programs
prohibits from screening
for grades, test scores, interviews,
auditions, behavior,
attendance and lateness. These
are the absolute requirements
for learning and for success
in life. To succeed all students
must aspire to do all of these
things or they set themselves
up for failure. So, by eliminating
these things we are setting
our students up for failure now
and in their careers.
In order to have diverse
Gifted and Talented Programs
we must give students
what they need to be able to attain
admission to these great
schools. The problem is that no
one is talking about the things
that are preventing some students
from being accepted into
these programs.
Poorer students may not
have the fi nancial means to
attend prep classes. This can
be offered in after school programs
that are already in
place in most schools. Parents
and students must be educated
about the choices that
are available and what must be
done to gain entry into these
programs. This must be done
in the early childhood grades
so that they gain realization
that things like attendance
and lateness are important
throughout your school years
just as they are important in
your chosen career. In order to
do this parent teacher conferences
must be attended by all
parents and it must be mandatory.
As a teacher I know that
most parents that attend conferences
have children that are
already on track. If parents are
not involved in their child’s education
it is an indication that
perhaps that family needs help
and that must be acted upon
early on.
Discipline is probably the
most important indicator of a
student’s chance for success.
Unfortunately, there is very
little discipline in schools today.
As time goes on there is
a push for less and less discipline
when we need more
and more. Children feel secure
when there are rules and
they are made to follow them.
It helps them to realize that
their teachers, parents and
administrators really care
about them and their success
at school. They do not have the
maturity to deal with situations
where there are no fi rm
guidelines and that leads to
chaos not only for that child
but for all students surrounding
that student. There is no
learning in chaos not even for
those students that behave.
So, let’s do the hard thing.
The thing that makes sense for
all students. Keep and even expand
Gifted and Talented Programs.
Believe that all children
can achieve excellence
and give students what they
need to succeed on the highest
levels. Never lower the bar.
Let’s fi nd ways to lift up those
that need a boost without hurting
those that are already succeeding.
Support and respect our police
offi cers.
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