- 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
…ample, only a few days ago, the NY Times ran a story on the colorful, even gaudy yarmulkes being worn by young yeshiva bochers in New York and the mini-storm of controversy they have caused. A great deal of thought is being given to the redesign of the synagogue. I’d like to spend a few minutes trying to define the emotional and physical qualities that I think that BEKI congregants might seek in a beautiful sanctuary. The sanctuary’s design should…
…ll 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 careful consideration, and after it was determined that mour…
…privileges and responsibilities. If tefillin are already part of a youth’s religious life, there are many other mitzvot available to serve as “special” ones associated with becoming a bar- or bat-mitzva. If a minor youth wears tefillin, it is possible that a gabbai or shamash (ritual director or service organizer) will mistakenly assume that the youth is an adult who should be counted toward the Minyan (quorum). A minor wearing tefillin, therefor…
…ene. Each member of the household has their own Hanukia, and each lights a number of lights corresponding to the number of the day of the holiday. We are fortunate that we are able to do this mitzva in such a complete and beautiful way. But what of the poor person who can not afford all of this “hidur mitzva” but must struggle to light even one lamp? The Mishna Berura, written at the beginning of the twentieth century by the Hafetz Hayim, comments…
…uated to prayer, we learn the vocabulary of prayer, and we fulfill our obligation to recite the Shema and Amida which are statutory prayers. But beyond the “fixed prayers” one should say what is in one’s heart. Moses Maimonides firmly noted that a person may pray in any language. Yes, God understands English. We encourage everyone to learn Hebrew and to pray in Hebrew, and for good reasons. But a prayer is valued by God regardless of language. In…
…me polygamous marriages and a patriarchal society. There are prohibitions against cross-dressing, against charging interest when you lend money to Jews, against interplanting two crops in the same field, and other rules that seem pretty arbitrary and inapplicable today. On the other hand some of the laws in this parasha remain quite relevant. Don’t make an impoverished laborer wait overnight for his pay. Protect the rights of those who have no one…
…news story in BEKI Bulletin July 1997. Abraham’s Tent – In 2012, the Congregation began participating in Abraham’s Tent, an initiative of Columbus House with the Interfaith Cooperative Ministries, to provide shelter and assistance to services to homeless people. Interfaith Cooperative Ministries – The Congregation was a formal and participating member of the Interfaith Cooperative Ministries (ICM), a coalition of New Haven religious communities an…
…acknowledged Bruce and me at the end of services and encouraged the congregation to welcome us. I felt embraced, and I didn’t feel invisible anymore. One day I was speaking with my brother-in-law on the phone. I was talking about BEKI (which by this time I had joined) and the feeling that I have here. And I confided in him that one day I’d like to get up on the bima and read from the Torah. And as I said these words I began to tremble. The very t…
…e’s lots of JCC’s and synagogues around the country doing nice little segregated programs. Let’s give these people their own group and space and we’ll teach them. Kulanu is a bridge to open up the synagogue to help our congregants be more welcoming and informed, and to help our synagogue be a less threatening place to walk into if you’re not used to it.” Reaching out Kulanu is … run by Johnston, a 35-year-old from out west. Years ago, Johnston con…
…ligious school) Teen Kesher USY and Kadima youth groups Free High Holy Day tickets Support from our Hesed Committee Shiva minyanim Choice of two affiliated cemeteries Programming for children and adults All Jews are invited to become members of BEKI, including: Jews by birth and Jews by choice (converts) Jews in mixed marriages and couples who are both Jewish Jews of all races Jews of all gender identities or sexual orientations. BEKI believes in…
