Kol Nidrei Address by Chairman of the Board Mark First
Mark First, Chairman of the Board
September 24, 2023 ~ 10 Tishrei 5784
Join the Park Avenue Synagogue community on October 25th when our Early Childhood Center gets a new name. As part of our A Synagogue in Action: Building the Future capital campaign, our ECC program will be named in honor of the Penn family. Ilene and Art Penn joined PAS 22 years ago when they were young parents and new to New York City. Since that time, their involvement has increased exponentially. Ilene co-chaired the Poland/Berlin and Prague/Budapest adult education trips and our College Connections Committee. And Art, having sat on many committees, is a past Treasurer and former Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Madeline, Andrew and Eliza, now 24, 22 and 18, all went through the ECC and Congregational School and celebrated their B’nai Mitzvahs at PAS.
Ilene and Art shared, “The Early Childhood Center introduced us to the Park Avenue Synagogue community. As a young family, we were looking to establish Jewish roots here in New York City. The ECC attracted us with its warm, nurturing environment. It was a place where our children could learn and meaningfully engage with Judaism outside of our home. The years that our three children spent at the ECC provided many fond memories for our family, and we hope that it will do the same for many generations to come.”
All are invited to the naming ceremony and celebratory Oneg Shabbat in honor of the Penn Family on the first Shabbat after the holidays. The Torah portion/parashah we read that week is Bereshit, which is the very beginning of our Jewish story. What better way to celebrate a new name than at the beginning of our Jewish year!
Fri / Oct 25 / PAS@87th
Light dinner for children 5 and under and their siblings
Sponsored by the ECC Parents Association and Young Family Education Committee
5:15 pm / RSVP
Kabbalat Shabbat with naming ceremony
6:15 pm / All are invited
Celebratory Oneg Shabbat and L’chaim with plaque unveiling
7:30 pm / All are invited / RSVP