- 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
…31 Jul Memorial for Shula Chernoff July 31, 2022 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm Events Home Page Shulamith “Shula” Chernoff, a beloved BEKI member who died last spring, will be remembered at a memorial celebration on Sunday, July 31 at noon at […] More Info…
…p Friday 7:00a 6:00p Shabbat 9:15a Minchah/Maariv During Daylight Saving Time months (March through October), minchah and maariv services are recited weeknights at 5:45p. During Standard Time months (November through February), only maariv is recited at 5:45p, finishing before 6:00p rather than 6:15p. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, only minchah is recited. Every day, the yahrzeit lists are read for the day departing as well as the next day arr…
…and the weak response to those groups by some US political leaders. It is time for all political leaders to unequivocally denounce such beliefs and behaviors. As we remember each Passover, our people’s historical experience reminds us that every generation must respond to the challenge of bigotry and rise to the defense of freedom. The basis for democracy stems from the Torah’s belief that every person is created equally in God’s image and is the…
…films such as “The Green Mile,” which is a replay of the crucifixion, this time with a miracle-working black man who is sentenced to death in the electric chair. As Lenny Bruce once said, if the story had taken place in the 20th century, Christians would be wearing little electric chair pendants around their necks. But the movie does not develop those themes – it is merely an unending graphic display of human suffering, and if it is accurate, it w…
…. Many people have heard that the potential convert is turned away three times, in order to ensure that only the truly determined succeed in their quest. But as a rabbi who guides many converts, I don’t do that, because I find that when, upon further study and experience with the real Jewish world, candidates encounter plenty of realities that would turn them off, and turn them away. The realities are harsh enough to sober the greatest idealists…
…about our main sanctuary. For all these reasons, I believe that now is the time to redesign our main sanctuary to better reflect who we are. Two options: spend money or invest money. We can either spend money to make repairs piecemeal and end up with the same sanctuary we have now. Or we can invest money in a holistic approach and make the space suitable for our current and future needs. The second approach will cost incrementally more, but we can…
…t of it. It’s actually also another motion to overthrow the custom at that time of the first-born getting the better blessing and inheritance. This is taking off from Isaac’s switched blessings, when he is tricked into giving the younger son, Jacob, the first-born’s, Esav’s, greater blessing. As Jews, we stick to the idea that if there’s a custom, social institution, or law we think is wrong, it’s our divine duty to whine about it, or in this case…
…time to be with their families in these stress-filled ’90s. They put their time in at the shul, but it’s in mixed forums, which, after all, mirror their work-places. They may simply be from a different line, men of a different line of thought, a different world-view. And if there are no sons, to whom does the inheritance pass? I turn to Numbers Chapter 27, from parshat Pinchas. “The daughters of Zeloph’chad, of Manassite family…they stood before M…
…o reconcile an ancient rule with a radically changed world, but in the meantime, life goes on. After all, we don’t want to take Biblical rules lightly; but in this case, there is not much else we can do but treat it the same way we treat some other technical violations. Unfortunately, most of the CJLS papers promote sweeping and far-reaching approaches where a simple answer to a narrow question would have worked better. The approaches described in…
…ney, or in other words, give give give. It is no surpise that from time to time active members experience “burn-out” or what we might call “mitzva indigestion.” For many dedicated and caring BEKI members it is hard to say “no” to an invitation to do a mitzva. And so, for the benefit of the many new members who might not yet know what to expect, and for those already suffering mitzva indigestion, I want suggest the following perspective. At BEKI yo…
