New York Religious Awakenings

The city that never sleeps could also be described as the city that always philosophizes.  At least, there are certainly a whole slew of opportunities for those who enjoy talks on different subjects who find themselves in the Big Apple.

For New Yorkers seeking to explore their Jewish routes, the Jewish Center provides “advanced educational initiatives, offering engaging and relevant courses on a wide variety of Jewish topics.” Located in the heart of Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the goal of the center is to “make the study of Torah and the pursuit of wisdom accessible to our members and the broader Jewish community.”

Rabbi Tully Bryks is another address for Jewish soul searchers in New York.  He can be reached online at all times with any questions on life, the world and the universe. The self-described “Rabbi With Answers,” Bryks’ focus is on a whole slew of philosophical subjects ranging from faith in God to finding one’s soul-mate. Bryks is also available to come to you to give a talk on your chosen subject related to religion.

For New York Christians – or just New Yorkers who want to get more involved in establishing a Christian presence, in their lives – New York’s Crenshaw Christian Center established more than a decade ago by Dr. Frederick K. C. Price offers training programs, baby dedications, classes for children, study sessions for adults and more.

Wannabe Buddhists can check out the city’s Eastern States Buddhist Temple of America, Inc. that offers daily Buddhist devotions, documentaries, celebrations and more.   For those specifically seeking happiness through Buddhism, Happy Science was established “to create utopia on Earth – to save all humankind through the worldwide dissemination of the universal Truth as taught by El Cantare, the Lord of all Gods.”

Midtown Manhattan Hosts Children's Literature Exhibit

The New York Public Library is celebrating children's literature with a new exhibit in Midtown Manhattan. The project, which features books ranging from 'The Cat in the Hat' to 'The Hobbit', lists 100 great books from the last 100 years.
The list also included books such as 'Where the Wild Things Are', 'Pippi Longstocking' and 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.'

Beloved children's author Eric Carle, famous for books like 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar', and 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?', as well as Judy Blume, author of  'Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing' and 'Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret', joined several librarians for a reading and panel discussion.

Leonard Marcus, moderator and curator of the exhibit, said: "Viewed over time, children's books are the collected memory of our hopes and dreams. They are the message in a bottle that each generation tosses out to the next generation in the hope that it may wash ashore and be read and be taken to heart."

Blume discussed her book 'Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing', explaining that when she was in fourth grade, the stories were already forming in her head. "But I never told anybody about them because I thought if I did they would think I was weird," she said.

Carle talked about his first book, 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar', revealing that the character was first created by folding paper. Carle originally thought he would be a bookworm, named Willie the Worm. "And I had this wonderful editor and she didn't like the worm so much," Carle explained.

Carle also read his new book 'Friends' to his young audience, a story about a boy on a journey to find his friend.