- 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
…e portion, three angels come to Abraham right after he has circumcised himself. They tell Abraham that he and Sarah will have a child in a year. After the angels leave, God tells Abraham that he is about to destroy the city of Sodom because the people there are evil. Abraham argues on behalf of the people in the city, and God agrees that if he can find ten good people in the city, he will not destroy it. But the only good person found in Sodom is…
…counted. For family and friends, I will go be part of that Minyan and go help celebrate that bar-mitzvah, but it is a hard call every time. When it comes to the responsibility to defend the country or the Jewish people, do you teach your daughters to grapple with those issues the same way you teach your sons? Would you be as proud of a daughter who joins the Israeli army after high school as you would be of one at Stanford? When you envision a Sp…
…a physical pit, or it may be a spiritual pit. Many Americans are facing a relatively challenging fiscal climate. We are feeling that in Connecticut. Several of our officers are currently looking for work. Economic dislocation can be very difficult. But none of our BEKI families are facing hunger due to these conditions. The same cannot be said of our neighbors in the New Haven area. Our state is facing a severe budget deficit. This is happening at…
…would create numerous additional halakhic problems. None of these is overwhelmingly important in and of itself, but they are worth noting. For example, it is the custom among many Ashkenazic communities (although not at BEKI) not to allow relatives of the first degree to have consecutive aliyot. That is, you cannot call up two siblings or a parent and child one after the other. The reasons for not calling them in succession would apply even more f…
…eceased, other callers attempted to make conversation with me about completely unrelated but pleasant matters. How can I, in the future, stick to the halakhot [rules] of paying a shiva call, while not seeming to reject, ignore or insult others who want to converse about tangential matters, and who are apparently unaware of the shiva halakhot? Normally I enjoy discourse about the topics that these others were raising; it was just not appropriate be…
…in Italian Zucchetto. The kippa has no religious significance in and of itself — it is merely one type of hat. It is nothing more than a beanie. Today, we follow a moderate path and make a point to keep our heads covered during prayer, study, meals and other religious acts, such as playing baseball. Although he wears a kippa, the Pope is not Jewish. And although we wear Zucchettos, we are not the Pope. Once again we see that you don’t have to be J…
…f 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’ allegiance. But we and the world have changed over the years and what was once vital and contemporary, like polyester suits and or bell bottomed pants, can be experienced by some as somewhat dated. With the blessing of the Ritual Committee and Rabb…
…Television programs around the world some months ago depicting an Israeli Telephone Company employee stuffing faxes into the Western Wall. It is in fact a custom among many of our brothers and sisters to insert small handwritten personal notes and petitions to God between the stones of the Kotel, 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 peti…
…and its up to you to ask for help if you need it or let us know if someone else needs help. Sometimes a person needs one kind of help but can provide a different kind. George Posener, for example, needs a ride to shul on Shabbat morning, but has volunteered to make calls to let people know were thinking of them. If thats the way this project works, then who can say in which direction the kindness is flowing? You received a form a week or two ago a…
Participation Opportunities: Help Wanted Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel views community service in the synagogue and the local Jewish and civic communities as an essential part of its mission. History of Completed Service Projects Volunteer Opportunities in the Synagogue To volunteer, contact the office at office@beki.org or by phone at 203.389.2108 x114. Administration – Members are needed to serve on the work-groups, committees and board tha…
