Wandering Jews of Astoria

WJOA Happy Hour, Walk Through Westchester and Book Club

10/10/2026

See below for the WJOA early October announcements!

Featured in today's newsletter:
Happy Hour: 10/8
Fall Walk Through Westchester: 10/11
Book Club Brunch and Discussion: 11/15
Schmooze News

Happy Hour

Thursday, October 8, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
OffCity (32-11 Broadway, Astoria)

Come join WJOA for Happy Hour at OffCity. Let's hang out, grab drinks, food, and enjoy this bar and restaurant, which is just two blocks from the N/W trains, with the R train nearby. Check out the menu here. RSVP to Jennifer, so we can save you a seat. Here is the Partiful event.

RSVP to Jennifer

Fall Walk Through Westchester

Sunday, October 11, 10:15am – 5pm
Meet in Manhattan, then to Westchester County

Join the Wandering Jews of Astoria for a fun four-mile fall walk through Westchester County on Sunday, October 11. We’ll be leaving from Manhattan and taking the train to the southern portion of the Old Croton Aqueduct, with stops such as the scenic Untermeyer Gardens overlooking the Hudson River and the Palisades in Yonkers along with Hastings-on-Hudson, where we’ll break for lunch.

Participants should meet at 10:20am at the Harlem-125th Street Metro-North Railroad Station in Manhattan ahead of the 10:36am Hudson Line departure. You can also board the same Hudson Line train at Grand Central Terminal at 10:25am if that is more convenient. We should arrive back in Manhattan before 5pm. Please RSVP to Jared by Thursday, October 8. Please include your phone number in the email as we will be creating a WhatsApp group for participants to share updates the day of the walk. Here is the Partiful event.

Photo credit: Magpieturtle, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

RSVP to Jared

Book Club Brunch and Discussion

Sunday, November 15, noon – 2pm
Astoria or LIC

The next Book Club book will be Cammy Sitting Shiva by Cary Gitter (288 pages). We'll meet for a discussion and brunch potluck at location TBD in Astoria or LIC. The author will join us for part of it over Zoom, so come with a question or two if you'd like. Here is the link to the book at Astoria Bookshop. RSVP to Jonah by Monday, November 9, and he'll send you the address and potluck signup form. Here is the Partiful event.

RSVP to Jonah

Schmooze News

Central 30s/40s
- On Friday, October 16, you are invited to join our vibrant 30s & 40s group for Shabbat services at 6pm in the Main Sanctuary, followed by a private sit-down dinner at 7:30pm with 30s & 40s community leaders and Rabbi Sarah Berman in the Pavilion. This is a "kosher-style" dinner, but there will not be a hechsher. Please indicate dietary restrictions when you register. Please register if you plan on attending dinner. Central’s 30s & 40s group is a recently formed community that offers opportunities to connect over services, social events, and volunteer programs. We hope you will find your place with us. Tickets are $18 for members and $25 for non-members. Register here.
Critiq Media app
- WJOA Board member Jonah has recently released a social media app called Critiq Media, where you can rate, recommend and review movies, TV shows, theater, books, music and podcasts. Hope you sign up and invite friends! Right now it's a web app, critiqmedia.com.
Whole Heart Torah
- WJOA member Eli Steier has a website called Whole Heart Torah, for resources on Jewish meditation and spiritual direction.
Donate to Aid in the Ukraine Crisis
- In February 2023, WJOA board member Jonah Schrogin volunteered at JCC Krakow, where he packed and sorted food for Ukrainian refugees. If you'd like to contribute to JCC Krakow's Ukraine relief program, here is their Ukraine Appeal. JCC Krakow is a 501(c)(3) organization, so any donations made are tax-deductible. Please write “Ukraine donation via Jonah Schrogin, int vol” in the comment box.
- Jonah has another fundraiser, this one benefitting GlobalGiving's Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. This supports more than 80 non-profit organizations on the ground in Ukraine and in the surrounding areas providing humanitarian aid, such as shelter, medical care, food, and clean water. Contribute here, and you can get more information by emailing Jonah, including seeing a recorded presentation.

Have an event you'd like to organize or share? As always, please don't hesitate to send them our way!

—The WJOA Team

WJOA Happy Hour and Walk Through Westchester

10/10/2026

See below for the WJOA mid-September announcements!

Featured in today's newsletter:
Happy Hour: 10/8
Fall Walk Through Westchester: 10/11
Book Club Brunch and Discussion: 11/8
Schmooze News

Happy Hour

Thursday, October 8, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
OffCity (32-11 Broadway, Astoria)

RSVP to Jennifer

Fall Walk Through Westchester

RSVP to Jared

Book Club Brunch and Discussion

Sunday, November 8, noon – 2pm
Astoria or LIC

The next Book Club book will be Cammy Sitting Shiva by Cary Gitter (288 pages). We'll meet for a discussion and brunch potluck at location TBD in Astoria or LIC. Come with a question or two if you'd like. Here is the link to the book at Astoria Bookshop. RSVP to Jonah by Monday, November 2, and he'll send you the address and potluck signup form. Here is the Partiful event.

RSVP to Jonah

Schmooze News

Critiq Media app
- WJOA Board member Jonah has recently released a social media app called Critiq Media, where you can rate, recommend and review movies, TV shows, theater, books, music and podcasts. Hope you sign up and invite friends! Right now it's a web app, critiqmedia.com.
Central 30s/40s
- Central Synagogue has a vibrant, lay-led group for people in their 30s & 40s. The group regularly sits together at Shabbat services, goes out for Shabbat drinks, and organizes additional events for holidays and general gatherings.
- To learn more, email Marina at [email protected].
Whole Heart Torah
- WJOA member Eli Steier has a website called Whole Heart Torah, for resources on Jewish meditation and spiritual direction.
Donate to Aid in the Ukraine Crisis
- In February 2023, WJOA board member Jonah Schrogin volunteered at JCC Krakow, where he packed and sorted food for Ukrainian refugees. If you'd like to contribute to JCC Krakow's Ukraine relief program, here is their Ukraine Appeal. JCC Krakow is a 501(c)(3) organization, so any donations made are tax-deductible. Please write “Ukraine donation via Jonah Schrogin, int vol” in the comment box.
- Jonah has another fundraiser, this one benefitting GlobalGiving's Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. This supports more than 80 non-profit organizations on the ground in Ukraine and in the surrounding areas providing humanitarian aid, such as shelter, medical care, food, and clean water. Contribute here, and you can get more information by emailing Jonah, including seeing a recorded presentation.

Have an event you'd like to organize or share? As always, please don't hesitate to send them our way!

—The WJOA Team

WJOA Book Club Voting, Erev Rosh Hashanah Dinner and Ice Cream Happy Hour

9/15/2026

See below for the WJOA early September announcements!

Featured in today's newsletter:
Book Club Voting: 9/9
Erev Rosh Hashanah Dinner: 9/11
Ice Cream Happy Hour: 9/15
Fall Walk: 10/11
Schmooze News

Book Club Voting

By Wednesday, September 9, 7pm
Online

Please vote (only once) using the link below for the next Book Club book. We are doing ranked-choice voting again, so rank your choices first to fifth. Vote below by Wednesday, September 9 at 7pm. Here is the form to vote.

Cammy Sitting Shiva by Cary Gitter (288 pages)

The Way Back by Gavriel Savit (368 pages)

Heart of a Stranger by Angela Buchdahl (352 pages)

This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation by Alan Lew (288 pages)

Here is the Facebook event.

Vote here

Erev Rosh Hashanah Dinner

Friday, September 11, 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Rivercrest (33-15 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria)

Come join WJOA for an Erev Rosh Hashanah dinner at Rivercrest in Astoria. The owners and staff at this place are terrific, and it's a very fun and lively atmosphere. Here's the menu. RSVP on Partiful here by Wednesday, 9/9 so we can make a reservation. Here is the Facebook event.

RSVP on Partiful

Ice Cream Happy Hour

Tuesday, September 15, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Athens Square Park (30th Ave and 30th St, Astoria)

Let's get together for an END OF SUMMER treat at Ralph's Ices in Astoria. Choose an Icee or Custard Ice Cream or both! We will meet at Athens Square Park, 30th Ave and 30th St. Check out their extensive frozen treats menu choices here. Please RSVP through Partiful here. Here is the Facebook event.

RSVP on Partiful

Fall Walk Through Westchester

Sunday, October 11, 10:15am – 5pm
Westchester County

Join the Wandering Jews of Astoria for a fun four-mile fall walk through Westchester County on Sunday, October 11. We’ll be leaving from Manhattan and taking the train to the southern portion of the Old Croton Aqueduct, with stops such as the scenic Untermeyer Gardens overlooking the Hudson River and the Palisades in Yonkers along with Hastings-on-Hudson, where we’ll break for lunch.

Participants should meet at 10:20am at the Harlem-125th Street Metro-North Railroad Station in Manhattan ahead of the 10:36am Hudson Line departure. You can also board the same Hudson Line train at Grand Central Terminal at 10:25am if that is more convenient. We should arrive back in Manhattan before 5pm. Please RSVP on Partiful by Thursday, Oct. 8 at the link here. Here is the Facebook event.

Photo credit: Magpieturtle, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

RSVP on Partiful

Schmooze News

We welcome WJOA member David Mendoza-Vazquez to the Jewish people. He completed his conversion process on the 14th of Elul and chose the name David Moshe ben Avraham v’Sarah.
Critiq Media app
- WJOA Board member Jonah has recently released a social media app called Critiq Media, where you can rate, recommend and review movies, TV shows, theater, books and music. Hope you sign up and invite friends! Right now it's a web app, critiqmedia.com.
Central 30s/40s
- Central Synagogue has a vibrant, lay-led group for people in their 30s & 40s. The group regularly sits together at Shabbat services, goes out for Shabbat drinks, and organizes additional events for holidays and general gatherings.
- To learn more, email Marina at [email protected].
Whole Heart Torah
- WJOA member Eli Steier has a website called Whole Heart Torah, for resources on Jewish meditation and spiritual direction.
Donate to Aid in the Ukraine Crisis
- In February 2023, WJOA board member Jonah Schrogin volunteered at JCC Krakow, where he packed and sorted food for Ukrainian refugees. If you'd like to contribute to JCC Krakow's Ukraine relief program, here is their Ukraine Appeal. JCC Krakow is a 501(c)(3) organization, so any donations made are tax-deductible. Please write “Ukraine donation via Jonah Schrogin, int vol” in the comment box.
- Jonah has another fundraiser, this one benefitting GlobalGiving's Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. This supports more than 80 non-profit organizations on the ground in Ukraine and in the surrounding areas providing humanitarian aid, such as shelter, medical care, food, and clean water. Contribute here, and you can get more information by emailing Jonah, including seeing a recorded presentation.

Have an event you'd like to organize or share? As always, please don't hesitate to send them our way!

—The WJOA Team

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WJOA Happy Hour, Walk Through Westchester and Book Club

Happy Hour

Fall Walk Through Westchester

Book Club Brunch and Discussion

Schmooze News

WJOA Happy Hour and Walk Through Westchester

Happy Hour

Fall Walk Through Westchester

Book Club Brunch and Discussion

Schmooze News

WJOA Book Club Voting, Erev Rosh Hashanah Dinner and Ice Cream Happy Hour

Book Club Voting

Erev Rosh Hashanah Dinner

Ice Cream Happy Hour

Fall Walk Through Westchester

Schmooze News

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