- 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
…er sages as well. He argues that if a man can be forced to divorce for not supporting his wife — a case where the court could confiscate his property — he certainly could be forced for beating her, which is a situation that can not be remedied by monetary means.25 Yosef Karo, in his Beit Yosef, cites the famous responsum of Rabbenu Simha, but rejects its conclusion: In any case, it appears to me that we should not accept the opinions of Sefer Agud…
…nse of peacefulness, awe, community, mystery, and religiosity. There are a number of factors that could conflict with our wish to achieve beauty and art in the synagogue and sanctuary. One is the expansive interpretation of the second commandment. The literal words of the commandment are, Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image nor any manner of likeness that is in the heaven above or that is in the earth beneath. My reading of this is that t…
…y of Shabbat and weekday programs for children and youth expanded, and the number of minors grew from under 70 in 1994 to over 225 a decade later. A typical Shabbat morning includes simultaneous programs or services for children and youth, as well as youth participating in the main service and Shabbat Shalom Torah Study. In 2003, the congregation began a process of building renovations, aimed at improving accessibility, enhancing energy efficiency…
…e Ely House, Center for Contemporary Art, New Haven, CT, and has curated a number of independent exhibitions. She studied at the Akademie fuer Angewante Kunst in Vienna, Austria, and received her MFA from San Jose State University. Anna Broell Bresnick has collaborated with dancers and musicians in the creation of installations for performances. These have included large sculptural str uctures, floor drawings and video. Broell Bresnick has taught…
…o BEKI. At the same time, we also admire and love the fact that a sizeable number of congregants can daven and read Torah! The unrestrained excitement of little ones further adds to the pleasure in feeling that Am Yisrael Chai! Tom Goldenberg & Jessica Holzer and Ainsley Tom is a New Haven Mayoral candidate and was previously a public sector consultant. Jess is the chair-elect of the University of New Haven’s public health department. Ainsley is i…
…les, reciting the Shema, coming to a daily or shabbat service, baking a halla, reading a passage from the Torah or other Jewish book — these are the redemptive acts that we ourselves must do. Our own synagogue, our United Hebrew School, Ezra Academy, Kadima-USY, Makom, JTS, MERCAZ, Masorti-Israel — and above all our own family — these are the institutions that we must support. No one else is going to Jew it for you….
…. This also means that we must insist that our UJA dollars be earmarked to support the causes we really believe in. The recent UJA offer to “double” direct funding of Masorti-Conservative and Progressive-Reform institutions is not serious because that almost amounts to twice nothing. If the Israeli Government is able to spend $700 million on non-Conservative religious institutions that seek to disenfranchise us and in many cases promote explicitly…
…hey supported his hands. In this is also seen a message about the communal support that is needed to overcome inner doubt. We must support each other in our struggles with our inner Amaleq. “Remember Amaleq” means to call forth faith in the presence of moral challenges. A second interpretation describes Amaleq as chaos and Denial of God’s order in the world around us. The Talmud takes up deeper meanings of Amaleq when it considers the phrase from…
…ing — true, life changing, meaningful learning — happens in the context of supportive relationships. It is through the relationship with Naomi that Ruth takes on the formidable challenge of accepting monotheism into her life. In classrooms where there are supportive and positive relationships between teachers and students, between students and students, and in schools where there are good relationships among the adults, optimal learning takes plac…
…and acts of lovingkindness. My family and I felt surrounded with love and support. Thank you 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. Uncharacteristic…
