The Village Temple

09/01/2026

Voting is meaningful & shapes the future! The Midterms are 9 weeks away. VT Social Action members POSTCARDING to Get Out the Vote!

08/19/2026

Zachor

On 9/11, we experienced unimaginable loss. In the years that followed, we've carried our grief, cared for one another, and have sought healing. From the start of Elul (the month of introspection) through Ne’ila on Yom Kippur, I Lift Up My Eyes will gather our memories and hopes into a shared horizon. Above, an open sky will invite us to breathe, remember, and look toward healing and hope.

Yizkor

We also hold the specific memory of our closest loved ones in our hearts. Whom among your loved ones will you be remembering this year at Yizkor on Yom Kippur? We invite you to add the names of your loved ones to this wall of memory throughout the month of Elul. Before the Ne’ilah service on Yom Kippur, we will gather as a community to read their names aloud and honor their memories together.

Community

Making and sharing art can help us express experiences that are difficult to put into words. By sharing our memories and seeing those of others, we can feel supported and less alone. I Lift Up My Eyes invites each of us to participate in whatever way feels comfortable, to acknowledge what we still carry from 9/11, and to imagine how we might continue to heal, individually and together.

I LIFT UP MY EYES will open this Friday night at Shabbat 6pm Aug 21 and be open all through the end of Yom Kippur.

08/07/2026

Ready to Serve

Every week, volunteers distribute meals with a warm smile on their faces and kindness in their words. A nourishing meal is important, but so is being greeted with kindness and treated with dignity.

This work continues week after week after more than three decades because of volunteers like Peggy.

08/06/2026

From Ingredients to Meals

Every meal served from our soup kitchen starts with careful preparation.

After we’ve checked over the delivery of fresh produce, our volunteers chop veggies, stir pots of freshly made delicious soup, make sandwiches, and work side by side to build a community of people who care. It’s a team effort and everyone contributes whether it means one of them running downstairs to grab more cutlery or if it’s someone in the kitchen ensuring that food doesn’t burn.

Each meal is made with care because everyone who receives our food matters.

08/04/2026

At The Village Temple, we take our commitment to Tikkun Olam seriously. That’s why for nearly 35 years, we’ve been a place for our members and neighbors to come together and care for our friends in need. The Village Temple Soup Kitchen gathers weekly on Saturday to put together meals and feed the hungry. While this may seem simple and straightforward, the work being done by our community is mighty, amazing, and centered in care for each other. This week we’re going to be highlighting some of our volunteers and explaining how the Soup Kitchen runs. We’ll also be sharing ways for you to become involved.

Today we're taking you behind the scenes to show what that looks like.

❤️ Follow us for the next few days for more information.

07/30/2026

Sharing out more details about our new teen programs launching this fall:

The Madrich/TA program has been redesigned, the launch of a brand-new VT Youth Group, led by Sari Rosenberg, a very exciting robust 8th-12th grade VT Hebrew High program, including college credit options, taught by Rabbi Bair, Rabbi Alex, and Sari, with Jewish arts workshops with Stephanie.

Read more about VT Hebrew High, VT Youth Group and Madrich/TA on our website.

Members can register through their ShulCloud accounts or reach out to Rabbi Bair or Rabbi Alex Tansky for more info!

Also! Look out for live information sessions about re-imagined Teen Education, Engagement and Leadership at The Village Temple coming soon.

Discover The Village Temple, a welcoming Reform Jewish synagogue in downtown NYC offering engaging services, High Holiday events, religious school for Jewish education, and a vibrant community.

07/29/2026

Celebrate love, equality, and the tradition of Jewish dance!

Did you know that dancing is at the heart of Tu B’Av, the Jewish Day of Love? In ancient times, unmarried women of Jerusalem would dress in borrowed white garments and dance together in the vineyards.

Why borrowed dresses? The Mishnah explains: so that wealth and status didn’t matter. Every dancer stood on equal ground.

From the ancient vineyards to today’s joyful wedding horas, dance holds a sacred place in Jewish tradition. It lifts our spirits, expresses our joy, and connects body and soul through movement.

Happy Tu B’Av! Put a little extra love into the world today and continue building our world with love. ❤️

07/29/2026

Celebrate love, equality, and the tradition of Jewish dance!

Did you know that dancing is at the heart of Tu B’Av, the Jewish Day of Love? In ancient times, unmarried women of Jerusalem would dress in borrowed white garments and dance together in the vineyards.

Why borrowed dresses? The Mishnah explains: so that wealth and status didn’t matter. Every dancer stood on equal ground.

From the ancient vineyards to today’s joyful wedding horas, dance holds a sacred place in Jewish tradition. It lifts our spirits, expresses our joy, and connects body and soul through movement.

Happy Tu B’Av! Put a little extra love into the world today and continue building our world with love. ❤️

07/28/2026

Today we visited the Center for Jewish History and scoped out the YIVO exhibit, Jews Are Magic: Occult Practices from Palmistry to Professional Psychics. We both loved that the exhibit starts with the context set by text from Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, prohibiting these folk practices and then moves into the many ways and figures known to various local communities engaged in these practices as a means to deal with practical life, hardships, losses and fears.

From runaway husbands, to mysterious clairvoyants, to palmistry, nasal analysis, amulets, historical texts and hand written references, we definitely recommend a visit to this exhibit and more at the Center.

Special thanks to our guide, Renee Feinberg. We are grateful for Renee's wisdom, perspectives, and willingness to have fun with us learning!

07/23/2026

Rabbi Bair's door is open as we tackle High Holiday plans, services, Religious School planning, relationship building and all the ways we will connect and engage in Jewish life together this year.