28. Shabbat Reimagined, with Rabbi Joy Levitt and Alice Gottesman

As Rabbi Joy Levitt looked out on the Upper West Side one weekend afternoon, she saw a familiar sight: people going about their lives, trying to fill their time by… spending money. Not everyone was Shabbat observant, but for those who were, or who wanted to be, the JCC devised R&R, a weekly opportunity to be together as a family and a community: an inclusive alternative to the typical New York Saturday. For Friday evenings, there was Shabbat Shabbang, an event designed to welcome the community into the building for a meal, new friends, and fascinating programs. Leading the charge alongside Rabbi Joy Levitt was board member Alice Gottesman, who drew on her own fond childhood memories in supporting both programs. In this conversation, you’ll hear Joy and Alice discuss the founding of two programs that came to embody the Jewish values of the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. Learn more about Shabbat programming at the JCC at https://mmjccm.org/jewish-life/shabbat-holidays.