Lab/Shul congregation
connects Tashlich
with Lady Liberty
for Rosh Hashanah
BY TEQUILA MINSKY
Under a clear and sunny sky with an
autumn chill, a special Rosh Hashanah
Tashlich took place at the
Hudson River at 43rd Street with members,
partners and friends of Lab/Shul, a Jewish
congregation that is among other things an
experimental community for sacred Jewish
gatherings.
The High Holiday tradition of Tashlich is
the symbolic shedding of transgressions—
part of Rosh Hashanah observance. The
casting out in the form of breadcrumbs are
thrown into a body of water— it’s about a
clean start for the New Year. This is the
Hebrew New Year 5781.
Before cruising past the Statue of Liberty,
Lab/Shul gathered at Pier 83 for a brief
ceremony, a reading of Emma Lazarus’
sonnet embedded in the Statue’s pedestal
and a sounding of the shofar, which has
religious symbolism and is a wake-up. The
well-known poem, The New Colossus,
begins: Give me your tired your poor, your
huddled masses yearning to be free.
Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavi and board
member Craig Kanarik, who is also CEO of
the Circle Line, talked about the diffi culty
of celebrating a High Holy Day season
without anyone being able to be in the same
physical space as each other.
“The impact of COVID-19 has been
severe on everyone, and the High Holidays
is usually a time when people come
together in a community — sometimes the
only time of year they are part of a Jewish
community,” Kanarik said.
“We talked more about the impact of
social justice and the fact that our boats
sail by the Statue of Liberty,” he added,
and mentioned the possibility of doing
something outdoors on the Circle Line
vessels.
They surmised, “It would be particularly
poignant if Tashlich took place by Lady
Liberty.”
And so the cruise became a part of Lab/
Shul’s High Holiday celebration.
As almost 100 people gathered on the
pier, congregation members held handmade
signs reading: Welcome.
Janee Graver of Lab/Shul’s Immigrant
Task Force explains that a number from
the congregation volunteer as conversation
partners in the Riverside Language
Program, which provides free English
language instruction for documented,
recently-arrived immigrants asylees and
refugee adults. Forty-fi ve language students
joined Lab/Shul as invited guests.
Graver says, “Judaism teaches us to
welcome the stranger, as we were once
strangers in a strange land.”
In his welcome remarks, Israeli-born
Rabbi Lau-Lavi explained that when he
fi rst came to the U.S., he spoke no English
and had to learn the language.
This year’s Tashlich—seeing friends in
person—was particularly rewarding; it had
been fi ve months of only seeing Lab/Shul
participants on Zoom. The ritual took place
as the cruise passed the Statue.
Over 300 watched Rosh Hashanah
services streamed live from the Lab/Shul
portal. Others accessed the Lab/Shul Facebook
page or YouTube channel to watch.
Lab/Shul’s team of eight musicians (guitar,
percussion, violin, fl ute and vocals) and
religious offi ciates provide an engaging, unusual
with tradition High Holiday service.
Beginning Sunday night, Yom Kippur
services broadcast from the Hudson Valley
City Winery will be similarly available.
PHOTOS BY TEQUILA MINSKY
At the Hudson River, Naomii Less blows the shofar as part of Lab/Shul’s
Tashlich observance. Almost 100 gathered, including guests from Riverside
Language School to participate.
HIGHER ED TODAY
Just days into the fall semester, the
City University of New York’s ability to
propel students up the socioeconomic
ladder was recognized in a series of national
rankings of institutions of higher
ed.
The Wall Street Journal named Baruch
College and City College of New
York as the country’s top two “Best
Value” public colleges, respectively.
Those schools were also listed, along
with six other CUNY colleges, among
the top public schools in the northeast,
and also among the nation’s most affordable
and diverse.
CUNY’s quality and affordability
were also recognized by U.S. News &
World Report, which named 10 CUNY
senior colleges among the top performing
public institutions of higher education
in the northeast. The magazine
listed six CUNY schools among the top
25 in promoting social mobility, and six
whose graduates have the least student
debt. And Business Insider, Money.com
and the Princeton Review each also
touted CUNY’s value and affordability
in their rankings, while a study published
earlier this year by the Brookings
Institution affirmed CUNY’s effectiveness
in lifting low-income students into
the middle class.
Our community colleges were also
recognized for their quality in the 2019-
2020 school year, when three were selected
as candidates for the prestigious
Aspen Prize, putting them in league
with the top 15 percent of community
colleges nationwide. Earlier this year,
Borough of Manhattan Community College
was named a finalist for the $1 million
prize.
This all serves to underscore CUNY’s
tangible impact on the city and region,
its economy and residents. Its greatest
impact can be stated in two words: social
mobility.
CUNY’s 25 campuses anchor their
communities, helping all residents of
our city to meaningfully contribute to
the city’s evolving economy. Now, the
University is marshaling its resources
to help the region build back even better
from the economic fallout of the pandemic.
To ensure that our graduates continue
to drive the area’s economic resurgence
for years to come, we have
collaborated with industry partners
and created career readiness programs
for students that will culminate in tens
of thousands of well-paying jobs for the
city’s economy.
of some of the largest employers in New
York will create career pathways for
25,000 CUNY students with a focus on
low-income and Black, Latinx and Asian
communities. The New York Jobs CEO
Council will have a direct impact on the
economy, creating a pipeline of skilled
CUNY workers to the growing workforce.
90-day Upskilling challenge, which is
providing free skills training and includes
course partnerships with Google
and IBM to connect students to employers
who are hiring during COVID-19.
-
ing CUNY in the state’s historic $9 million
Workforce Development Initiative
to support job training opportunities
across New York. The federally funded
program will support job training opportunities
across the state, and will
benefit CUNY colleges including Lehman,
Kingsborough Community College
and LaGuardia Community College,
helping our students adjust to a post-
COVID market.
-
tural Corps, a proven-successful program
that provides a pipeline to careers
in New York City arts and cultural sectors
for students from underrepresented
communities. With new support from
the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation,
CUNY will be able to place hundreds of
additional students in internships and
give them access to the training and exposure
to pursue fulfilling careers in
the arts.
These initiatives represent the kinds
of work-based learning programs that elevate
students and inspire informed observers
to acknowledge our efficacy, and
the benefits are long-lasting. As of summer
2018, we estimated that 1 million
people who graduated from a CUNY college
in the previous half century were
living in New York State, and 82 percent
of those — or 840,000 CUNY grads —
lived in New York City.
From CUNY’s operations and procurement,
research, construction and
student and alumni activities, our colleges
annually generate billions of dollars
for the regional economy, as two
studies noted earlier this year.
When I was appointed Chancellor
in May of 2019, I brought an agenda that
focused on increasing access for traditionally
underrepresented groups. The
COVID-19 pandemic compelled us to
quickly pivot to distance learning, but
it didn’t alter my priorities. It only made
them more urgent.
After all, when we provide a path upward
for all New Yorkers, we are moving
the city forward. I can’t think of a better
cause to get behind in these uncertain
times.
Schneps Media Sept. 24, 2020 9
/Money.com