- 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
…t will shape our congregation for generations to come. What needs to be repaired right now? Our drafty single-pane windows are not energy-efficient. Our noisy HVAC system doesn’t even bring in fresh air. It needs an upgrade. Some of our seats have the stuffing coming out of them. The back divider is falling apart and is held together by a hope and a prayer. All of these things require immediate attention. Doing nothing is not an option. What are w…
…em. If your toothbrush remains wet between uses, it could be in persistent contact with meat or dairy in a moist environment and thereby take on the property of “meat” or “dairy.” Even if the brush is not in contact with actual food, you might equate a toothbrush with an eating utensil or think of the particles on your teeth as being “like” food. So for “esthetic” reasons one might want to add the stringency of keeping separate toothbrushes. (Don’…
…entire congregation is invited and must be included in the calculation of number of guests. a. Sponsoring Kiddush prepared by BEKI Kiddush Team This fee (prices as of March 2024) includes a dairy buffet lunch, announcement and publication of sponsorship, wine & grape juice, setting up and clean-up of the room, trash removal and standard custodial services. These BEKI volunteers can manage up to 50 invited guests in addition to the congregation; f…
…s? Maybe the steroids did help! And, I should mention, I have not remained free of negative feelings for the entire year since. A mixture of feelings, anger high on the list, did eventually creep in. I have spent time working on that, with good results. The main technique has been to acknowledge the feelings and let them pass. But let me return to the first days and tell you what else helped me with my feelings – this Congregation. From so many of…
…15 South (“Wilbur Cross Parkway”= Merritt Parkway). SOUTH to right Exit 59 New Haven, Woodbridge. At bottom of ramp turn RIGHT (East toward New Haven) onto Whalley Avenue (Rte. 69). Proceed about 1/10 mile. Rte. 69 terminates and intersects Amity Rd. (Rte. 63) at traffic light. At this intersection, you may see a small strip mall (ahead), gas station (right), and Walgreens and strip mall (left). Turn LEFT (11 O’Clock) onto Rte. 63 (now called Whal…
…cornercopia.com Edge of the Woods Market has dining tables available downstairs and upstairs, 397 Whalley Ave., https://eotwm.com. You can see what’s available on the hot bar at: https://eotwm.com/menu/. Ladle and Loaf, kosher meat restaurant, 357 Whalley Avenue, near the Edge of the Woods plaza. You can see their menu at https://ladle-loaf.square.site. Ladle and Loaf also has a catering service, called The Gusto Kitchen, for dairy, vegetarian, pe…
…rs, words and spaces, although exact layout (number of words in a line and number of lines in a column) may vary, as will the quality of the materials and calligraphy. We take out the particular scroll or scroll that is set to the portion that we are reading on the given occasion. The weekly reading goes in sequence, so each shabbat we begin reading from the spot we left of the previous week. But on festivals and other occasions we may read from a…
…own unsavory past honestly, and truly reconcile with Esau, if he becomes a new man—not the old Jacob, but the new Israel. Or, as Aviva Zorenberg puts it, the mysterious assailant has come “to save [Jacob] from the condition of being Jacob.” Zorenberg interprets the wrestling match as an occasion for Jacob to discover and clarify the parameters of his personal strengths and weaknesses. The injury Jacob suffers actually empowers him to experience a…
…t I’m the one that gets to speak the most English today! In other words, a free will offering. The spirit of Shavuot is also one of renewal of commitment, the taking on of the Torah. It was in that spirit that we’ve carried on and come before you today. Additionally, we read in the notes for the text that in many congregations, Shavuot is the time when children are initiated into the formal study of Jewish religion and Hebrew language. Some temple…
…battle. A new era was about to begin. New leadership was taking over, with new objectives and a new style-but the same core values and the same shared history. I’m not saying that I’m Joshua to Stephen Pincus’s Moses, but there is a modest parallel. What happens in the governance of a synagogue isn’t about any individual’s wishes or achievements. It’s about strengthening the community. It’s about balancing change and continuity, for the good of th…
