- 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
…ommitment to remain engaged and to improve it, even if only in a miniscule way, through performance of mitzvot. Some recreational drugs contribute to undesired genetic mutation. The thought of damaging my future offspring has led me to defer consideration of drug use. At this point, my actual children, already born, would be endangered, since as their resident father, I am on call 24-hours a day to provide them emergency care, if not daily guidanc…
…s of kashrut is the fourth of seven reasons for keeping kosher. Our Jewish way of eating shapes our souls at the deepest level and identifies us as a distinct people. Leaving aside other ethical or religious considerations, eating the Jewish way defines us as and makes us Jews. The majority of BEKI households observe kashrut in some degree (like most mitzvot, keeping kosher is not an “all or nothing” observance). In the past few years, many of our…
…rse of the evening, he would invariably lose back the $50 or $100. In this way, the family members were able to help each other while retaining their sense of dignity and pride. This year, as 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 gi…
…rm, it also fences Job in. Instead of feasting with his family, Job stays away, worrying that they might become infected by sin, sending word for them to sanctify themselves. Instead of engaging with his neighbors, he tells us that he “decided their course and presided over them,” living “like a king among his troops” (Job 29:25). God’s “fence” preserves Job as fruit is preserved: plucked from the vine, boiled and sealed in a jar to halt its natur…
…unction they had in the works of Diego Velasquez and Jan van Eyck. Another way in which references to masterpieces disturb and animate Wolf’s paintings is in the way his paintings utilize the interplay of gazes within their borders and between their surfaces and the viewer. Figures in the paintings – including animals – often stare at the viewer. Just as often, however, they look so intently into their computers that they seem not to notice one an…
…unction they had in the works of Diego Velasquez and Jan van Eyck. Another way in which references to masterpieces disturb and animate Wolf’s paintings is in the way his paintings utilize the interplay of gazes within their borders and between their surfaces and the viewer. Figures in the paintings – including animals – often stare at the viewer. Just as often, however, they look so intently into their computers that they seem not to notice one an…
…a higher level. Beyond providing a spare utilitarian structure, are there ways we can arrange the physical space of the sanctuary that will permit us to more easily to open our hearts to holiness? Can we create a setting that will remind us of the wonders of the world, that will help instill in us a sense of awe? Can we make the space that is more welcoming to God. We all know from our efforts to decorate our homes, that our emotional state is af…
…e Ely House, Center for Contemporary Art, New Haven, CT, and has curated a number of independent exhibitions. She studied at the Akademie fuer Angewante Kunst in Vienna, Austria, and received her MFA from San Jose State University. Anna Broell Bresnick has collaborated with dancers and musicians in the creation of installations for performances. These have included large sculptural str uctures, floor drawings and video. Broell Bresnick has taught…
…cities of Greece, and even twentieth century America? Surveying the large number of works in the BEKI collection entitled “Rabbi_,” the BEKI Art Committee began discussing how best to present this work in an exhibition. Among ourselves, we called this the “Rabbi Show,” although there is nothing in the artworks themselves to signify that these are rabbis, rather than ordinary men who have been given the honor of holding the Torah. As Jewish artist…
…espects, encourages and indeed welcomes in its egalitarian yet traditional way, all of us to do reach and grow and do as much or as little as each of us ready for to fully participate. For some of us it has been precisely that aspect of the BEKI culture that drew us in here and made us want to learn more. We have always felt the encouragement and support of the congregation to grow and learn and participate. The parasha goes on to describe the thr…
