- 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
…s and decorations that might provide us with these feelings have changed since the sanctuary was designed forty years ago. Styles and values, even technology and the materials from which art, and synagogues, are made, have changed. The spare lines of the unadorned lecterns were once seen as a clear signs of modernity and religious feeling. The flags on the bima once made a powerful and clear statement to anyone who might have questions about Jews’…
…for this practice, nor any requirement whatever to uphold it, many experience it as a meaningful expression of continuing love and concern. Dear Rabbi, What is the symbolism of throwing the dirt on a coffin at a Jewish funeral? Signed, Dying to Know Dear Dying, It is not a symbol. It is part of an actual burial. The first shovels of dirt at a burial service can be a very difficult moment for the mourners, because it brings home the reality of t…
…hould be according to the individual. If one’s kavana [concentration and sincerity] is enhanced by swaying, then one should sway; if not, one should stand upright. The point is that one should pray with kavana. Dear Rabbi, Why can’t we chew gum and eat candy during services? Does the Torah forbid that, too? Signed, Bazooka Yosi. Dear Bazooka Yosi, I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but the Torah does forbid you from chewing gum and eatin…
…tbacks. In Connecticut, social activists are advocating a temporary state income tax surcharge of 1% on incomes exceeding $1 million per year as part of a plan to balance the state budget. That plan was rejected last year. That plan must now be brought back to the legislature for passage. Last year (2001) the Federal government passed a “temporary” ten-year tax cut program. That was at a time when large budget surpluses were projected. Now they wa…
…, the Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem. The service provided by the phone company allows people unable to visit the Wall in person to fax their petitions to an agent who then carefully inserts the sheets into cracks between the stones. But you don’t even need a fax machine to reach God. Our sages valued sincerity in prayer above all else. Length, language, or location are secondary considerations. Better a few words from the heart than the…
…trade. I want to look at a few verses from the parasha that seem at first unconnected to life in New Haven, and relate them to a project were starting at BEKI, a project that I hope you will participate in. If it thrives it will help us become an even more caring community than we are now. If you see your fellow’s ox or sheep gone astray, do not ignore it; you must take it back to your fellow. If your fellow does not live near you or you do not kn…
…BEKI members participated in the Amity Cares build in 2005-2006. The residence on Winchester Avenue in New Haven was completed in April 2006. Kulanu for Adults with Special Needs – Kulanu Havura is a project begun in the summer of 1997 to enable adults with developmental disabilities to live richer lives as Jews in their own homes and to participate more fully in the synagogue community. Kulanu Havura helped congregants become more aware of and se…
…he rabbi and I told him of my decision. And he was so happy for me and so encouraging and he gave me strength and confidence and inspiration to go forward. And I approached Darryl and asked her to teach me and she has worked with me patiently for almost a year now, and praised each of my little successes. And Bruce stood by my side all along…cheering me on, sharing my excitement, honoring the path my life was taking. Last summer I went up to the b…
…mbers to provide home hospitality–inviting participants over for Shabbat lunch or for the High Holiday meals. (BEKI provides clients with free tickets for High Holiday services.) In the summertime, Kulanu participants may have a joint program with one of BEKI’s social action committees—they will clean up Beaver Pond Park in southern Connecticut, where congregants have held Tashlich services during Rosh Hashana. Kulanu also plans to provide a job t…
…interfaith and multi-racial family himself, Rabbi Woodward considers the inclusion of non-Jewish relatives in the community to be deeply important. The same goes for Jews of all income levels. Membership at BEKI is not about money. While BEKI does rely on members’ dues to pay the staff and to keep the building open, nobody is turned away because of inability to pay. Our members include those who can afford to pay little or no money to belong to B…
