- 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
…30s Havura, thanks to the initiative of Miriam Benson and the support of a number of program participants such as Eva Landau. It’s a nice way to bring people together and to help people locate their cohorts in the sea of members. The number of formal members does not tell the whole story. There are many families or individuals who identify BEKI as “their” synagogue, even though they are not formally members. For at least some purposes, we should t…
…e sort that a throng will commonly engage in. He thereupon ordered a large number of soldiers to be dressed in Jewish garments, under which they carried clubs, and he sent them off this way and that, thus surrounding the Jews, whom he ordered to withdraw. When the Jews were in full torrent of abuse he gave his soldiers the prearranged signal. They, however, inflicted much harder blows than Pilate had ordered, punishing alike both those who were ri…
…e attraction of Judaism,” the conversion candidate said, “is that you’re always asking questions, always discussion and debating.” It is the ma nishtana of the Passover seder, the emphasis on questioning — and answering — that makes the Jewish world go ’round. Classic Judaism insists on free discourse and open-mindedness, and the respect for the intellectual and religious integrity of each person, within broad limits, as essential to the search fo…
…s far we have seen how a few tales from Shivhei HaBesht suggest nonviolent ways of living, ways of halting the spread of violence. But there is much more in this collection than can be presented in this brief essay. In order to facilitate access to other tales that demonstrate nonviolent values and approaches, and in order to encourage the reading of the texts, a “Nonviolence Motif Index” is appended for selected stories. Nonviolence Motif Index…
…f the redevelopment program was the Oak Street Connector, a multi-lane highway connecting to and from the Connecticut Turnpike. This would pass through the heart of the so-called “Jewish Ghetto.” College Street was to be extended over the highway to Congress Avenue, passing but yards from the site of the synagogue. In October 1955, the Congregation received a letter from the City about acquiring the building. Paul Goodwin was asked to represent th…
…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…
…the evil and will receive him with mercy and will be good to him in every way to the best of his ability” (Note 51 (9) by R’ Shimon Menahem Mendel Wodnik, on Sefer HaBeShT). This notion of being good to one who has acted wickedly, of being nice to someone who was mean to you, is a description of the attitude one ought to hold, according to this pietist notion. Well and good. But what affect might this have on the one who was being wicked? If you’…
…ou all. Please help us again, this time by passing along our thanks to the number of congregants who are away this weekend of Thanksgiving, giving thanks of their own elsewhere. The morning of the surgery I prayed and learned another prayerbook lesson, this time explicit. At my request, Marsha had brought me a copy of our Siddur, Sim Shalom. Uncharacteristically, I admit, I started from the beginning of the Shaharit, or morning, service. There I d…
…urners would have a turn. There are some communities that still do it that way, too. But this procedure often created a dilemma: If the number of qaddishes was limited, there might still be some who did not get to say one; if there was no limit to the number of qaddishes added, the service became burdensomely long. So after careful scrutiny the rabbis allowed all mourners to say qaddish simultaneously. This rabbinic solution was adopted only after…
…s and supporting columns are, the ramps would need to be at least 12’ 10” away from the walls. The area between the ramps and walls would essentially become a very large walkway — we couldn’t put seats there, because they would be behind the ramp. On a typical Shabbat, that might not be a problem. But on high-attendance days, like the High Holy Days, we may need that area for seating. Why are steps necessary? Why not have everyone use the ramps? S…
