Media coverage of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue has included feature articles and highlights in the many local, national and international news outlets. Below is some select coverage that highlight the synagogue.
Press inquiries may be directed to Communications Director Ryan Greiss at rgreiss@swfs.org or (212) 877-4050, ext. 267.
New York Family: Why To Consider A Religious School For Your Child
Jan 7, 2019
Our Director of Youth Education Rabbi Rena Rifkin makes the case for religious education in New York Family Magazine: “Judaism is not just about God and prayer. Judaism offers us a history, a community, and a set of values and ethics to guide our lives. Even if your family chooses not to celebrate holidays or follow ritual practices, you can still be guided by Jewish values and ethics.”
Makor Rishon (Hebrew): ‘The Reform Movement is going through an anti-Zionist period’
Dec 1, 2018
Our Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch criticizes the Reform movement’s leadership for taking anti-Israel positions, which deviate from the movement’s values and those of many of its members.
Haaretz: Then We Take Manhattan: How the ‘State of Tel Aviv’ Was Reborn in NYC
Nov 29, 2018
Haaretz’s New York correspondent Haim Handwerker writes about the phenomenon of Israelis flooding into Manhattan, and how Stephen Wise Free Synagogue encourages Israelis to join, and offers services and activities in Hebrew as part of a program called Chofshi B’Manhattan. This article originally appeared in Hebrew here.
YNET (Hebrew): American holiday, Jewish values
Nov 23, 2018
YNET spoke to our Rabbi Samantha Natov about how Thanksgiving — a secular holiday — incorporates Jewish values, like tikkun olam, which our volunteers embraced at a Thanksgiving dinner for guests of our on-site Next Step Men’s Shelter.
Kveller: Thanksgiving Is Basically a Jewish Holiday. Here’s Why.
Nov 21, 2018
Our Rabbi Samantha Natov explains how Thanksgiving is profoundly Jewish for a secular holiday, incorporating central Jewish values. “Thanksgiving offers us a chance to replenish ourselves with a sense of gratitude, well-being, and connection. And this is at the heart of Jewish life and practice.”
The Forward: Stop Stripping Female Jewish Converts Like Ivanka of Their Agency
Nov 20, 2018
Our Rabbi Diana Fersko addresses the media’s misogynistic tendency to describe women who convert to Judaism as doing so “for” their husbands — and stripping them of their agency in the process.
NY Jewish Week: Israeli Officials Let Down Guard On Trump, Kotel
Nov 7, 2018
New York Jewish Week Editor and Publisher Gary Rosenblatt writes about off-the-record conversations he’s had with Israeli officials about the growing rift in the diaspora-Israel relationship. He mentions Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main concern for the future, which is, as he quoted our Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, that: “Those who are not concerned with Jewish survival will not survive as Jews.”
amNewYork: After Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, New York rabbis plan message of healing, resolve
Nov 2, 2018
Still reeling from a Pittsburgh shooting that left 11 people dead and several more injured, rabbis across New York City are preparing for Shabbat this week, grappling to find ways to help their congregations process their grief and stand strong for the future. “The way Jews process grief is always communally,” our Senior Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch told amNewYork. “I think they will show up more than regular weekly Shabbat because I feel they will feel they need it, that they need some kind of communal spiritual gathering, simply to be with other people.”
Associated Press: Israel defends Trump amid synagogue shooting criticism
Oct 31, 2018
With President Donald Trump getting a cool welcome from the Jewish community in Pittsburgh, Israel’s envoy to the memorial ceremonies for the synagogue shooting victims came to his defense, saying it was “unfair and wrong” to link him to the tragedy. Our Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, who recently met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Israel’s relations with American Jews, said the Israeli government mishandled its response to the Pittsburgh shooting: “What the Israelis should have done is express unity with the Jewish community, unity with American society … and stand in solidarity. That’s all.” This story was picked up by The New York Times and The Washington Post, among other outlets.
New York Family: When Should Your Kids Start Religious School?
Oct 29, 2018
Our Director of Youth Education Rabbi Rena Rifkin discusses Challah Club, our revolutionary afternoon drop-off class that introduces young children to Jewish learning: “If we want our kids to be as good at Judaism, as well-versed and as thoughtful about Jewish life as they are at math, then we have to start as soon as we can.”