Welcome
Services | Clergy | Messages | Donate
The Conservative Synagogue of Fifth Avenue is a small, traditional,
egalitarian synagogue in the heart of New York’s Greenwich Village. Rabbi David Gaffney, a pulpit rabbi of vast experience and learning, joined us in 2001 after a long and distinguished career in Jacksonville, Florida.
We offer Friday evening and Saturday morning services every week throughout
the year. We also have services on the Holidays and Festivals and at other
scheduled times. Our services employ a traditional Hebrew liturgy, a range
of beautiful and spirited melodies, broad congregational participation, and
learned and engaging divrei Torah.
Our community reflects, and celebrates, the rich diversity of our Greenwich
Village neighborhood: couples and singles, old and young, professionals and
blue-collar workers, professors and students, observant and secular,
knowledgeable and beginners, straight and gay. We welcome all.
See you soon!
Services
SHABBAT & HOLIDAYS
Join us every Friday evening at 6:00 pm for Kabbalat Shabbat and 9:00 am Shabbat and Holiday mornings (except special services as noted in the Calendar). Our services feature a full yearly cycle of Torah readings, equal participation by men and women, and a wonderful “haimish” atmosphere.
During the summer months, enjoy a lovely Kabbalat Shabbat and Shabbat Kiddush in our garden.
MINYANNAIRES
On the first and third Sunday of each month we hold morning minyan services at 9:00 am., followed by a dairy brunch. On the first Sunday we also feature a discussion on a topic of interest to the Jewish community. This is an ideal time for those who have never put on tefillin to learn how—and for those who have forgotten how, to re-learn.
HIGH HOLY DAYS
Our High Holy Day services are held at N.Y.U. Law School on Washington Square South. First Day Rosh HaShanah services and Yom Kippur Neilah services are followed by a luncheon and break-the-fast, respectively, in the same location.
»See Calendar
HOLIDAYS
We hold services on all Jewish holidays throughout the year, featuring Purim Megillah readings, Hakafot, shaking the Lulav and Etrog, and much more.
»See Calendar
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Rabbi David Gaffney
A native Jerusalemite, Rabbi Gaffey was raised on the Lower East Side in New York City. He attended the Rabbi Jacob Joseph School where he was ordained as a rabbi, the youngest student to be so honored. Rabbi Gaffney received his BA degree from Brooklyn College, with a major in psychology; his MA in Jewish philosophy from Yeshiva University, and was honored with a Doctor of Divinity degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary.
The rabbi was a student in the Doctoral Program in the Department of Religion at Columbia University when he was invited to assume the pulpit at the Jacksonville Jewish Center in Jacksonville, Florida. In that setting, Rabbi Gaffney was instrumental in creating a full-service congregation that included nursery school, kindergarten, a Solomon Schechter Day School consisting of eight grades, a Hebrew School and a High School. In addition, synagogue activities included extensive youth, adult education and cultural programs.
Rabbi Gaffney has also served the larger community in a variety of capacities. He was president of the Southeast Region of the Rabbinical Assembly; a member of the Board of The Jewish Federation, a member of the Board of the National Conference of Christians and Jews and its Inter-Faith Committee and a member of the Board of the Jewish Family and Children’s Service. He also led in efforts to facilitate the resettlement of Jews from the former Soviet Union. Rabbi Gaffney has also been involved in a variety of organizations committed to the welfare of the State of Israel.
In assuming the pulpit at the Conservative Synagogue of Fifth Avenue, Rabbi Gaffney expressed the hope that CSFA would always be a synagogue composed of warm and caring, sensitive and thoughtful congregants. He maintains that to be part of the synagogue is to be part of a larger collective Self which has the experience of 40 centuries and has extracted from that experience the wisdom and values, the spirit and inspiration to help inform our personal and social lives. To be part of our synagogue means to be part of a caring congregation and to share with others the opportunities of growing Jewishly and humanly; an intimate circle with whom we can experience the joy and celebration of Jewish life.
A Message From Rabbi David Gaffney
The author of the 149th Psalm offers what may well be a defining description of our congregation, The Conservative Synagogue of Fifth Avenue. The psalm begins — and I paraphrase — “Halleluyah, sing a new song to the Lord: God’s name is praised in the company of warm and caring, sensitive and thoughtful congregants.” This is what we, as a congregation, aspire to be. To be part of our synagogue is to be part of a larger collective Self that has the experience of 40 centuries and has extracted from that experience the wisdom and values, the sprit and inspiration to help inform our personal and social lives. To be part of our synagogue is not only to enjoy uplifiting services; it is to discover for ourselves from Torah discussions and classes what is important and sacred and how to find strength to help us cope with life’s challenges.
To be part of our synagogue means to be part of a caring congregation and to share with others the opportunities of growing Jewishly and humanly. It means an intimate circle with whom we can experience the joy and celebration of Jewish life.
To be part of our synagogue is to attach oneself to the Jewish heritage and to raise to lofty significance the great milestones of our life, to keep alive our people's most treasured memories and to nurture and act on our faith in the possiblities of a time of justice and peace by living out the imperative of gemillat hesed-acting compassionately and humanely.
Please consider this an invitation to contact me for any information and/or to visit us at services. We look forward to meeting you and welcoming you. Come and help us create a community that "sings a new song to the lord."
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Donate to CSFA - Support Our Community
At every Yizkor service we pledge to give tzedakah to honor the memory of those we have lost. We do this in part by making monetary contributions to the shul throughout the year, because dues cover less than one-third of our operating expenses. At CSFA we have a number of different categories of giving, some with a set amount and some not. We accept checks mailed to the office; or you may contribute online. Below are some suggestions.
Click the button below and be sure to use the "Add Special Instructions to the Seller" box at the last stage of payment (or email us) to let us know the honoree(s) of your contribution. Todah Rabbah .... THANKS!
Dedicate a Sanctuary Chair in honor of or in memory of
a loved one ......................$ 250
Dedicate a Chumash .........$ 100
Dedicate a Siddur .............$ 50
Memorial Plaque ..............$ 400
Kiddush Club ........... $ 100/year
Sponsor a Kiddush ............. call Synagogue Office for rates
Yahrzeit Fund
Misheberach Fund
In Memory Of ...
In Honor Of ...
Marla Newell Adult Education Fund
Synagogue Fund
Garden Fund
Renovation Fund
Sadie Anfang Fund
Sylvia Lippel Fund
Harold Anfang Torah Fund
Yizkor Fund
Rabbi's Adult Education Fund
Hazzan's Adult Education Fund
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