Barry Shainker

barry shainker

Barry Shainker is the religious school assistant director at Temple Israel of the City of New York.

What is Selichot?

Barry Shainker
Selichot are penitential prayers said before and during the High Holidays and other fast days throughout the year.

A Uniquely LGBTQ-Friendly Trip to Israel

Barry Shainker

Our Taglit-Birthright Israel trip began like any other group’s. After weeks of planning and anticipation, we finally assembled at the El Al counters at Newark Airport’s Terminal B. We completed the initial administrative tasks, checked in for the flight, and

Haggadot of Pesach

Barry Shainker

What makes a Passover seder special? Maybe it’s the meal? Or is it the people we dine with? Perhaps it is the ancient songs that we join together in singing. Indeed all of these aspects of the evening contribute to the beauty of the event, but it is the

From Gelt to Gimmel: A Personal Hanukkah Journey

Barry Shainker
I now proudly define myself not as an assimilated Jew, but as a modern and engaged Jew who is committed to Jewish life and practice while still living a life in the secular world.