The Jewish Family Now

ON REAL ESTATE

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:30:38 +0000

Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Manhattan’s Most Sophisticated Rental Property –
The Corner at 200 West – Offers 45 Unique Layouts,
Top-of-the-Line Amenities and a 10,000-Square-Foot Roof Terrace.

Rising 20 stories and located on the iconic corner of 72nd Street and Broadway in the heart of the Upper West Side, The Corner at 200 West is Manhattan’s newest and most sophisticated residence, providing a magnetic addition to the luxury rental market. Open just three months, the property has already leased more than 50% of its 196 apartments.

The Greening Of Apt. 9-D

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:26:50 +0000

One Upper West Side family’s experiment in sustainable living.

Susan Bodnar

Special To The Jewish Week

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The heat arrived earlier than expected this June with the type of humidity that caused our thoughts to hang inside our heads like a damp heavy cloth. It looked like we were going to have to break our family’s “no air-conditioning” policy, made four years ago at the time almost everyone, including our kids, discovered global warming. As the proprietor of Beacon Hardware waved his hand across the mammoth air conditioner that we would need to cool our apartment, we caught the corner of each other’s eyes. No way. We weren’t going to be defeated, yet.

Inside The Gay-by Boom Family

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:15:52 +0000

Q&A with Susan Goldberg,
editor of ‘And Baby Makes More.’

Julie Wiener

Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Susan Goldberg and Chloë Brushwood Rose’s new LGBT parenting anthology “And Baby Makes More: Known Donors, Queer Parents and Our Unexpected Families” (Insomniac Press) is not about Jewish families, per se. However, many of the contributors weave Jewish issues into their stories.

A freelance writer and blogger (www.mamanongrata.com), co-editor Goldberg and her partner, Rachel, live in Thunder Bay, Ontario, with their two sons, ages 5 and 3. Both boys have the same donor, Rob, who lives in a different city but visits often.

CBST’s ‘Gay-by Boom’

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:11:18 +0000

The gay and lesbian synagogue in the Village is, despite
the challenges, welcoming an explosion of children.

Julie Wiener

Associate Editor

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

This fall, when I embarked on a quest to find a Hebrew school for my kids, I did not expect one of the top contenders to be Congregation Beth Simchat Torah.

We are gay-friendly and the proud aunt and uncle of an adorable baby with two mommies. But my husband and I are straight — and CBST, after all, has the distinction of being the world’s largest lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgendered synagogue.

All-In-The-Family Hebrew School

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:07:56 +0000

Pilot ‘Yerusha’ program seeks new level
of engagement for kids and their parents.

Julie Wiener

Associate Editor

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

On an unseasonably hot Sunday afternoon in May, Karen and David Nathan are in their Princeton, N.J., backyard with their two children and four other families.

But instead of barbecuing or chatting, the parents are watching as the kids, ranging in age from 5 to 14, prepare to act out a story from the Talmud.

Justus Baird, a soft-spoken entrepreneur-turned-rabbi, passes out the short scripts and divides up the parts — which include Elijah the Prophet, God and Old Man with Two Myrtle Branches — among the 11 children.

Chai Culture

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:05:14 +0000

18 New York experiences every Jewish kid should seek out before adulthood.

Elicia Brown

Special To The Jewish Week

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

At least once a season, I stumble upon an event that reminds me of why I continue to make my home in New York City, despite high costs and tight space. The encounter generally takes me by surprise, reminding me of the rich culture that waits around so many corners.

Bedtime Stories Good For Publishing Business

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:57:50 +0000

Children’s book giveaway writing new chapters in publishing market, and Jewish families.

Penny Schwartz

JTA

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Boston — Once upon a time it was hard to find a wide selection of Jewish children’s books. Mostly there were books on Chanukah and Passover, plus retellings of Bible stories and folk tales.

The market was small and uncertain, and mainstream publishers could not count on large enough sales to justify the expense of publishing new titles.

Virtually There

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:54:45 +0000

Guests joining the party from every corner of the world —
on their computer screens. How technology
is connecting families as never before.

Elicia Brown

Special To The Jewish Week

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

A few months before his son Jonah was born, David Bryfman reluctantly told his Australian parents it would be best if they skipped the baby’s brit milah. Their presence in his small Brooklyn apartment would be more helpful a few months later.

His parents came anyway, dining on bagels and lox, tearing up with emotion and toasting the newborn — whose image was projected on a giant screen in a party hall in Bryfman’s hometown of Melbourne, Australia.

A Reading List For Harried Parents

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:43:08 +0000

Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

I’m not one to read parenting guidebooks — who has the time if they’re truly parenting? — but I adore Wendy Mogel’s “The Blessing of A Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children” (Penguin Compass, 2001). Her book is easy to read and her approach is sensible. She and my mother are my two voices of parenting reason. I anxiously await the October publication of her new book, “The Blessing of a B Minus” (Scribner).

Tips For Avoiding Overscheduled Family Syndrome

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:40:59 +0000

Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

When parents sign up for ice skating lessons on Thursdays and yoga on Mondays they have the best interest of their child in mind. But the constant running and shlepping to after-school activities can be draining for parents and in fact, harmful to children. (Not to mention the expense of class fees, sports uniforms and meals purchased on the go, rather than prepared at home.)

The Overscheduled Jewish Child

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:33:59 +0000

As families and children juggle multiple activities, congregations seek to accommodate — and provide
a haven from — their demands.

Shira Vickar-Fox

Special To The Jewish Week

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Traditionally, when Jewish children first learn their Hebrew letters they’re given candy or honey to create a sweet association. At North Shore Synagogue in Syosset, L.I., the connection is more savory — try marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. So begins the Tuesday night Hebrew school for students in seventh grade.

The Jewish Family Now

James Besser — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:28:49 +0000

Overscheduled kids, all-in-the-family Hebrew school, going green and more.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010