THE APERTURE by Uri Cohen

Here are some more details on the development of Hadar in 2002.

Here are the places that Hadar met for Shabbat morning services through August 2002:
Ethan Tucker’s apartment (Apr 28, 01)
Len Sharzer’s apartment (5/12/01-6/23/01)
113th St. Apartment (6/30/01)
El Taller (7/14/01-1/29/02)
Claremont Children’s School (7/28/01)
Franciscan Community Center (12/1/01-12/29/01)
Advent Lutheran (1/12/02)
JTS- Stein Chapel (1/26/02)
NY Buddhist Church (2/9/02)
Barnard (James Room) (2/23/02)
Ansche Chesed 6th Fl (3/9/02)
2nd Pres Church (3/23/02)
Various Friday night services also took place, utilizing spaces such as: Central Park, Key West; and then other holidays: 7th day Pesah in conjunction with Congregation Shaare Zedek, Tisha B’Av at Congregation Habonim, Simhat Torah at Congregation Ansche Chesed, Purim and High Holiday services at Trinity Church, St Lukes Hospital, and JTS.

2002 also saw the beginnings of three key programs which have remained as mainstays of Hadar’s operations to this day:

1. The Shavuot Retreat: May 2002 saw the first Hadar Shavuot Retreat at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. The retreat occurred on Friday and Saturday May 17-18, and featured an all-night Tikkun Leil Shavuot – a full night of study lasting from after dinner (around 10PM) through dawn, culminating in what was, perhaps, the most spiritual davening of the whole year. Julia Andelman led Shacharit beginning at 5AM capping off the night. The remainder of the retreat featured various classes, outdoor activities, meals, and other activities.

2. High Holiday Services: Hadar held its first ever Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services in the fall of 2002. Preceded by Selichot services led by Rabbi Ebn Leader, the services set a new precedent for High Holiday services, requiring no ticket purchases, only preregistration and a suggested donation to keep Hadar operational. As I heard from people who attended services not that year but in the years that followed, “it’s the longest, fastest Yom Kippur services ever.” The length of the full liturgy was enhanced by the spirituality of the singing and unison of voices.

3. The Hadar Beit Midrash: Hadar began its first official education program in 2002. The program, held at the JCC in Manhattan, was a diverse array of teachers speaking on a more diverse array of topics to a fascinated audience. The program has seen different topics (Parashat Hashavuah, the weekly Torah portion), philosophy, history and other topics.

By 2002 Hadar had also seen its first lunch and learn program and its first aufruf.

The Second Presbyterian Church became the regular home of Hadar in 2002, which put an end to the multiplicity of locations. One could now attend Hadar on a given week without any question as to where it would be held. This was a new stage in Hadar’s development – attachment to a space (while not a permanent or residential arrangement) added a permanence and a dependability which heretofore had only been associated with synagoguges. Now the only question was not where, but WHEN Hadar would meet. Two times a month at that stage…