- 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
Phone: 203.389.2108 Fax: 203.389.5899 Postal Address: Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel 85 Harrison St. New Haven CT 06515-1724 Office Manager Peggy Hackett Ext. 114 Education Director Annie Norman-Schiff Ext. 113 President Russell Epstein Rabbi Eric Woodward Ext. 120 Ritual Committee Chairperson Bruce Spierer Youth & Family Programming Director Annie Norman-Schiff Ext. 113 BEKI Bulletin bulletin@beki.org Cemetery Association cemetery@beki….
…ograms. Rides for kids when their parent is unable to drive. An occasional phone call or visit to someone who lives alone or in assisted living. A cooked meals or groceries for someone recuperating from illness or surgery. Of course, we can’t provide regular nursing service or permanent carpooling, but we can extend a helping hand, and we should. How will this work? Well, were just getting started, and there may be some kinks till we work out the…
…y guaranteeing that the property’s value would not go down as long as they did not sell their houses. This was a step forward in civil rights in an era when such a thing was unthinkable, and it ended up being successful; not a single person sold their house, and the property’s value actually went up. This was the first private integrated housing project in the U.S. Another example from my family is the work of my grandmother, Evelyn Benson. She di…
…nity or the punishments imposed. Bilaam tries to curse the Israelites four times, but each time, a blessing comes out of his mouth. It’s kind of odd that Bilaam is not a hero in our tradition– no children are ever named for him – and he is reviled later in BaMidbar, 31:16, as an enemy. Still, he had nice things to say – despite himself. I want to look at part of Bilaam’s first utterance, because it came true in Jewish history, and raises some very…
…n Berlin, Rome and Vienna. Her work has been written about in the New York Times, Art In America, Art New England and many regional newspapers. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including two from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, a Weir Farm Art Center Residency, two full residency grants to the Vermont Studio Center and two Artist In Residence Grants from the International Festival For The Arts, New Haven, CT. She s…
…ongs that are sung or the use of choral music during services. Because our time is short, we will not have time to debate the validity of these points of view. Perhaps we will be able to do this some other time. For today, I would like to recognize that there are also strong forces within Judaism that embrace art, embrace a wider view of religion that encourages the inclusion of beauty in the synagogue and sanctuary. I would like to acknowledge, t…
…rs of Judaic education I have learned VaYiqra three times so far and every time I learned something new. The first time I was four years old and in studying VaYiqra I learned how to read Hebrew, Rashi script, and I learned what the sacrifices were. The second time I was eight years old and I learned more about why there are sacrifices. Most recently, I learned VaYiqra again over the past year and studied the te`amim – the symbols for the tune used…
…ey to what Judaism is for many of us. If we all stood at Mount Sinai, then did we not also live in the Shtetls of Europe, the vibrant 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 thems…
…the truth in God’s words. Abraham’s journey was a journey into himself and away from home. This is something I can relate to, for my journey in life will take me out of my parents’ house and off into a world of unknown things. My journey is already taking me into unknown places — I’ve just started middle school and already my life is exciting with the thrill of new things. We all have some idols to break as did Abraham, things that we are overly a…
…upt and irredeemably sinful. But why should the innocent animals be washed away with the guilty people? The question assumes that there is some value to the life of the individual animal. After all, Noah rescues at least two of each kind of animal, insuring species survival. It may be that in ancient times the Torah was suggesting that species survival is more fundamental than individual survival for animals. It may also be that the Torah is alert…
