- Congregation Beth El–Keser Israel
85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org
85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org
…they have to say, you may have a deeper appreciation of your own heritage. Open discussion is an important part of our religious culture. We are allowed to question. The alternatives to open discussion and truth-seeking are fundamentalism, obscurantism, totalitarianism, mechanical obedience to dogma. Certainty and overconfidence about anything produces bad results; open discussion is better as long as people are constructive and not whining. As a…
…50 to 75 people at an estimated cost of $75,000. The majority all along intended to build a downtown shul. It was anticipated that it would one day be the only traditional synagogue in the area and would serve many people on their way to and from work, for Qaddish and for daily services. No action was taken on building because of the delay in acquiring the property. Meanwhile, the Benton School property had been acquired. Dr. Herbert Winer, led a…
…ger of a famine, which would be inconvenient when Gaius traveled, as he intended to do in the near future, to Alexandria via the coasts of Syria and Palestine. In a politely worded reply Gaius concealed the irritation which he felt at Petronius’ failure to carry out his orders promptly and his presumption in pleading the Jews’ cause; he commended his forethought, but told him to expedite the dedication of the statue, as the harvest must by then be…
…e-New Haven, St. Raphael’s) and other facilities about 20 times. I have attended hundreds of worship services and officiated at or attended many funerals, baby namings and benei mitzva observances. Working with Peggy, Ina, Clarence and Michael, enjoying the support of the officers and volunteers, and being blessed with a wonderful wife have made my job so much easier. I appreciate the understanding of Congregants for all of the things I do not do…
…the other (witness fewer than 350 conversions in 1996). A few years ago, a number of Russian Jewish families approached the Conservative movement in Israel out of desperation to convert their adopted non-Jewish children, which was duly done. Despite the parents’ fervent wish to create a Jewish household, no official rabbinic court would lift a finger without extracting a promise that these families become strictly Orthodox. The supreme irony of Zi…
…ion.34 The individuals discussed in this article chose to take principled, open, conscientious stands against some forms of military service or against participation in the military at all, and paid whatever price the government, their employers, and their friends, neighbors and families wished to exact.35 Similarly, an unknown number accepted induction but made private arrangements with the administration whereby they could avoid actual combat or…
…s tell us Is that 14,700 people died In this sudden plague. It’s a precise number. And it invites immediate comparison To the number we heard just a few verses earlier: Why did only 250 die From Korach’s active rebellion, But 14,700 die For a single line of passive complaint: “You two have brought death on the L-rd’s people.” This single line of lament, Of blame and complaint, May not seem so surprising, or egregious. They had seen Moses tell the…
…ewish congregations look for in a sanctuary. Raised in Stamford, he has attended services at BEKI. The firm is based in New York City, but Michael has worked on several projects in Connecticut, including a historic restoration of the Washington Building, at 39 Church Street in downtown New Haven. How much will this project cost? The Sanctuary Redesign Committee was given a budget range of $1 million to $1.25 million. That is an all-inclusive numbe…
…ewish Ledger, 7 February, 2018 With its aging membership too small to stay open, Congregation Sinai of West Haven and Milford has closed after nearly 90 years, merging with Beth El-Keser Israel (BEKI) of New Haven. The Jewish Forum with Barry Herman Clarence Bromell Retires: On December 17, 2017, BEKI volunteers prepared a luncheon in honor of Clarence Bromell, who retired after nearly thirty years of service to the congregation. Photos courtesy o…
…ad, and challenge the practice of charging for High Holy Days seats. These tickets, sold to non-members and the extended family of our members, account for about 2% of BEKI’s annual income. On a ship as tight as ours, that sum is not to be scoffed at. There was a time and place when seating in shul on the Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe) was scarce and actually needed to be rationed in some way. Today, although we do sell some tickets, our real problem…
