I recently encountered an article by the late Jonah Frankel, an authority on piyut who is known for editing some volumes of the “Goldschmidt Machzor”.  The article was written over a decade ago on the occasion of 200 years since the publishing of the Heidenheim siddur. The article points out the lack of attention scholars […]

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Three songs, Lamaan Tziyon,Yigdal and Mombach’s Hovu Lashem, performed in memory of the late Freddy Plaut o.b.m, who passed away earlier that year.

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The German Jewish community of Washington Heights recites the Bircas Hatorah each morning at the juncture between the bracha “Mekadesh es Shimcha Barabim” and the beginning of the recital of korbanos. This is at odds with the minhag recorded in the standard Roedelheim siddur. In the essay linked here I have suggested (this was written […]

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This past week  Jews the world over sat down to the traditional Shavuot-night learning.  Some traditionally say the “Tikkun” a prescribed booklet for the occasion. Others sit down with their Daf Yomi groups or with a friend.   In Washington Heights there is a third activity to be found at the “lernin”. The activity of […]

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Here is the clip from AM radio about a fire in the rear of the shul some 15 years ago.

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Rabbi Gevirtz in his memorable entertaining style shares some kehilla history at a dinner meeting. Click above or here

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Blog Entry The “skinny” on our Sefira Minhag This article is not being written based on research, but is being written to convey our minhag as espoused in Washington Heights, with some verbal tradition that I have picked up when learning among the community members in the Beis Hamedrash over the years. Our sefira minhag […]

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I’m in the midst of finals and have slowed down on posting videos and blog entries. As I was googling on Isaaac Breuer towards a paper I’m writing I tripped upon the article by Zev Eleff in a previous edition of Tradition. The tone would be offensive to a WH person at first, but it […]

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Message from A. Weil of Baltimore Rabbi Yitzy Ettlinger is from Washington Heights and now lives in the Kensington area of Brooklyn where he is a rebbi in an Iranian cheder. He was also involved for a number of years as a founder of the Ashkenaz Minyan in that area. In order to spark interest […]

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