PCS PCS

A Table Big Enough for All of Us

Launching the PCS Community Outreach Blog

There’s a moment in every Shabbat service when we rise for the Amidah and the room grows so still you can almost hear each heartbeat answer the call. That hush is a reminder: community isn’t the building or the program—it’s the invisible thread between pulses, the space we make for one another.

Today I’m weaving a new strand into that thread. Welcome to the Pleasantville Community Synagogue outreach blog—a digital picnic table where we can pull up a bench, pass stories back and forth, and dream aloud about the kind of village we hope to be.

Why start another blog?

Because the best way to nourish a community is conversation. Newsletters announce; a blog invites. Here we’ll share:

  • Neighborhood spotlights – meet the barista who sneaks extra foam onto your cappuccino and the sixth-grader who just built a sukkah out of recycled skateboards.

  • Behind-the-scenes peeks – ever wonder how the sanctuary transforms from musical mayhem on Friday night to contemplative calm on Saturday morning? Spoiler: lots of guitar picks and even more coffee.

  • Small acts, big ripples – mitzvah ideas that take less time than finding parking on Bedford Road but change someone’s day.

  • Holy day how-tos – from challah hacks to DIY menorah hacksaws (kidding—mostly).

The heartbeat test

Everything we post here will face one question: Does this strengthen the heartbeat between us? If yes, it stays. If not, it waits.

Your voice belongs here

A synagogue is literally a beit knesset—a house of gathering. So gather! Comment, argue kindly, share a memory, pitch a post. Send a photo of your dog stealing the afikoman. Tell us what justice project keeps you up at night. This is your table too.

Coming next

In the weeks ahead we’ll map out summer Shabbat strolls, introduce our new tikkun olam crew, share some of Rabbi Ben’s poetry, and unpack the art of showing up when the news feels heavy. For now, just know that however you arrived—lifelong member, curious neighbor, wandering web-surfer—you already have a seat.

Pull it closer. Pass the conversation. Let’s keep that sacred hush beating strong—together.

With anticipation and a ready refill of coffee,
Rabbi Shoshana “Shosh” Leis
Pleasantville Community Synagogue

Read More
Ben Newman Ben Newman

Blog Post Title One

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Read More
Ben Newman Ben Newman

Blog Post Title Two

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Read More
Ben Newman Ben Newman

Blog Post Title Three

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Read More
Ben Newman Ben Newman

Blog Post Title Four

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Read More