VCJC News & Notes 10/17/25

 

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center

News and Notes

Here's this week's edition of the VCJC News and Notes email. We hope you enjoy it and find it useful!

Reminders

1. Shabbos schedule
   
   
   Shabbos information is, as always, available on our website, both in the information sidebar and the events calendar.
   Here are the times you need:  
   Shabbos Candles Friday 10/17/25 @ 5:54 pm
   Shabbos morning services at 8:40 am.  Please join the services if you can do so safely. 
   Shabbos Ends Saturday 10/18/25 @ 6:57 pm

   If you require an aliyah or would like to lead services, read from the torah or haftorah please speak to one of the gabbaim.
   

2. Shabbos parsha

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Parashat Bereshit 5786 / פָּרָשַׁת בְּרֵאשִׁית

   18 October 2025 / 26 Tishrei 5786

   Parashat Bereshit is the 1st weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.

   Torah Portion: Genesis 1:1-6:8

   Bereishit (“In the Beginning”), the first parashah in the annual Torah reading cycle, begins with God’s creation of the world. The first people, Adam and Eve, eat from the Tree of Knowledge and are banished from the Garden of Eden. Their elder son, Cain, kills their younger son, Abel, and Cain is destined to a life of wandering. [1]

   
   

   
   

3. Yizkor donations

   It is customary to make a charitable donation in conjunction with Yizkor.  If you wish to donate to VCJC as part of your Yizkor observance, it can be done in person at the office, by check, or online through our website
   

4. Please help with information about buildings

   As part of rebuilding the membership and congregation, the Board of Trustees would like your help. There are a lot of either new or renovated buildings being put up in our catchment area. We would like to seek the cooperation of the owners / developers of those properties in publicizing these opportunities to live near an orthodox synagogue.  If you are aware of any of these buildings, please provide what information you can about them.  This could include the address, any contact information that might be posted, and any information about the building itself (size, type, etc.). Additionally, if you are aware of vacancies in existing buildings or of houses for sale, please let us know about that as well.

   
   

5. From the Derfner Judaica Museum
   

   1. OPEN HOUSE NEW YORK: Guided Exhibition Tour

      Sunday, October 19, 1:30 p.m. in person

      Reserve a spot art@riverspring.org or 718-581-1596

      
      

      To learn more about Open House New York, click here.

      
      
      AND

      Creating Fantastical Spaces

      Join the Museum's Senior Curator for a Free Virtual Talk

      Tuesday, October 28, 2 p.m. on Zoom

      Click here to register
       

      5901 Palisade Avenue

      Riverdale, New York 10471

      718-581-1596

      www.derfner.org

Our mailing address is:
Van Cortlandt Jewish Center
3880 Sedgwick Ave
Bronx, NY 10463