- 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
…ed, Still Mourning Dear Still, Yes, you may. “Mourners’ Qaddish” is specifically for anyone who is mourning and needs to say qaddish. Dear Rabbi, Why do people use the back side of the shovel at funerals? Is this a law? Signed, Dying to Know Dear Dying, The back side of the shovel is used, at least for one shovelful, to indicate that this digging is different in kind from any other. This distinction makes it clear that one is performing the act in…
…clerks. We rented a car and followed our own schedule, visiting archeological, historical, natural, religious and cultural sites. Although our trip was personal, among my pleasant rabbinic duties was visiting some of the BEKI youth in Israel on educational programs. Jochai Ben-Avie, son of Michael and of Sascha, was an extraordinary spokesperson for a high school year in Israel program; Tsvi was ready to sign up on the spot, but of course he is n…
…rs. Office Tasks – Stuffing envelopes, preparing mailings and similar clerical tasks are performed in the office, often with a small group of willing volunteers who want to keep their hands busy. Building & Grounds Care, Maintenance and Renovation – The 32,000 square-foot building, built in 1959 and 1964, requires a great deal of attention, as does the grounds on which it stands. Skilled and unskilled volunteers are needed for every aspect of buil…
…During the 42 years of Israeli rule, the Arab population has grown dramatically. More Palestinian Arabs have been killed by Arabs (mostly by other Arab residents of Palestine, but also in other countries) than by Israelis. Most of the Arabs killed by Israelis in this period were engaged in violent armed actions at the time of their deaths. If the Israeli policy is ethnic cleansing, then they have done a very poor job of it. While overall populati…
…felt the weight and the beauty of our tradition on my shoulders, both physically and spiritually. The tallit I wore was the one my mother brought back from Israel for my oldest son Ezra when he became a bar mitzva. He stopped using it when he received a full-sized coat of many colors tallit a couple of years later. That white wool tallit with the burgundy and gold trim is the one I’ve worn ever since, till three weeks ago, when Ezra and his brothe…
…the Zionist movement, indeed all of modernity, finding its origins in Biblical times. Today’s Parshat [weekly Torah reading], Ki Tavo, provides our proof text. The very first section of the Parsha contains the declaration known as miqra bikurim, the “Recital of the First Fruits.” As Nehama Leibowitz, of blessed memory, points out in her Studies in Devarim, [t]he Israelite farmer who brings the first fruits of his soil does not say: “My fathers cam…
…evers….”2 Waqf includes land “dedicated to a religious purpose” — theoretically owned by God — and administered or held in trust by a stipulated party such as a religious council.3 For mīrī, matrūk and mawāt, the raqaba is vested in the hands of the state. Mīrī is cultivated or cultivatable land acquired for the state through conquest or through forfeiture of milk due to a failure of heirs. An individual could gain rights over mīrī land b…
…their efforts be better directed toward promoting human welfare? While in California a $40,000 reward was offered to find the person who killed a dog, there is no reward for missing children in California, let alone concern for those in distant lands. As far as it goes, this criticism is valid. But the same reasoning should apply to all other causes. How can people advocate for the “right” to have a new sports stadium, to drive gas-guzzlers, to o…
…in war in any form for reasons of religious upbringing or deeply held ethical principals; selective conscientious objection refers to refusal to participate only in those wars which the objector believes to be unjust, or refusal to participate only in certain aspects of a particular war. Inasmuch as Israeli policy provides for the exemption of Yeshiva students from military service without regard to their attitude toward participation in war per…
…ee, various other committees and Sisterhood. Membership This past year (Fiscal Year 2013, or FY13, that is, 1 July 2012 – 30 June 2013) we were saddened by the deaths of our beloved members Esther Rose, Robert Silberman, Elsie Hodes and Morton Silver. We also mourned members of the extended BEKI family, including Mike Moss, William Kaplowitz, Crosby Forbes, Raymond F. Smith, Ralph John “Jack” Janette, Jr., Irwin Gerber, Rose Brunswick; Lee Irwin P…
