- 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 a few questions of his own and would be happy to receive written answers. 1. When someone posts a “Vote For Candidate X” bumper sticker on a “Stop” sign, do they intend to promote or to “stop” that candidate? 2. When one shampoo bottle says “for shiny manageable hair” and the second says “for dry damaged hair,” who buys the one that makes their hair dry and damaged? 3. When the orange juice carton advertises “squeezed orange juice,” how else mig…
…ing to say the berakha (blessing) on their own, or even with coaching. If a 12- or 13-year old can find the courage to stand in front of their elders, and before the Throne of Glory, and lead prayers, then the aunts and uncles or grandparents must find the courage to stand up and recite three Hebrew sentences. To say that someone who would not even read the blessings in transliteration had an “aliya” detracts from the honor of all other olim (hono…
…who care and support one another, are active in Tikkun Olam, have a great spirit of voluntarism, and serve as lay leaders. We also have an amazing new rabbi. He is vibrant, smart, thought-provoking, and the most menschlich person I have ever had the pleasure of working with. But our main sanctuary, which is in dire need of repairs, has an outdated hierarchical design from the 1950s and ’60s. It doesn’t reflect our values of inclusiveness and envi…
…eaching. To my mind, it’s no coincidence that there are a disproportionate number of gay clergy. Half of my ordination class was gay or lesbian. The process of coming out of the closet, the work we’ve done to become whole and unashamedly ourselves is deeply spiritual. Perhaps this is the Torah that gay men and lesbians have heard and give the world – the lesson that we all, gay or not, must be honest about our lives. And it’s a lesson that is usef…
…means that we have to live as Jews, we have to be the Jews, and we have to support our institutions that teach the traditions of Judaism as we know them. Lighting shabbat candles, 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, M…
…onception to your first steps at ten months to your fascile use of words at 18 months, to your being the leader of the pack at 18 months as the youngest member of your two year old nursery school class at EBJ. Most people in those days saw you as a highly active child with natural athletic abilities, but few saw beyond this preschooler in constant motion. Your father and I, your teachers and those close to you caught the glimmer of a very sensitiv…
…to confront an adversary; guilt to be proven by testimony only. Deuteronomy 19:15 and 19:17-18: A single witness can not prove an accusation against a person in the mater of any guilt or blame for any offense that they may have committed; a case can be proved only on the testimony of two or more witnesses. … And the two parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord before the priests and the magistrates in authority at that time, and the mag…
…17 May Walk Against Hunger – Team BEKI May 17, 2015 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Walk Against Hunger – 2015 flyer Walk Against Hunger – Sunday, May 17. In support of the CT Food Bank. We’re getting a BEKI Team together […] More Info…
…repeatedly forbids us from oppressing the stranger. For instance, Leviticus 19:34 commands us, ‘The strangers who reside with you shall be to you as your citizens; you shall love each one as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.’ And Exodus, ‘And you shall not wrong a stranger, neither shall you oppress them; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.’ It is a betrayal of Jewish history and our own Jewish values to stand quiet a…
…always, each member of our shul community will be asked repeatedly to help support the shul. As Rabbi I see every day how this community makes a real difference in the lives of many people. It is my hope that, in the words of our Torah, “every person shall give as they are able” (Deut. 16:17). When Grampa Ed and his brothers left the card table with $50 or $100 less than they came with, they still felt like winners. They knew that even if they did…
