Selections from BEKI Bulletin: The Newsletter of Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel

September 1999 -- Tishrei 5760

In this Issue:

New Accessible Washroom

Through the generousity of Tina Rose (pictured at left) and Phillip Rao, a new wheelchair-accessible washroom has been installed on the main floor of our building, next to the existing washrooms. The new room will benefit everyone, especially people using wheelchairs, nursing parents, and others with special needs. The leadership and membership of the Congregation has identified physical and spiritual accessibility as priorities for the synagogue's growth in the next five years.


Leah Posener, Betty Zelen Memorialized; Sisterhood Honored

-- Posener Establishes New Endowment

George G. Posener has established The Leah E. Posener and Betty D. Zelen Memorial Fund for the Benefit of Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel Sisterhood. The Fund, established at the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven, memorializes two very special women and provides a steady stream of income to support the Sisterhood for the benefit of the Congregation. Only a portion of the interest earned by the Fund will be used so that it will provide income in perpetuity.

Leah E. Posener (pictured at left with George) was the wife of George Posener and beloved member of the Congregation and its Sisterhood. Together with George she created a home filled with love and good deeds. Leah departed this world at the High Holy Day season in 1987.

Betty D. Zelen (pictured at right with George) was the dear companion of George Posener for the past decade as well as a beloved member of the Congregation and its Sisterhood. Remarkably, both women shared the same birthday and both were struck with a rare blood condition.

George G. Posener was honored as the first recipient of the Congregation's Distinguished Service Award in 1995. As part of his long history of support for the Congregation, George established The George G. & Leah E. Posener Endowment for the Jewish Education of BEKI Youth, and The Posener Family Memorial Fund for Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel in blessed memory of his wife, parents, sisters, brother and two precious sons. George made substantial additions to these funds earlier this year. George is known as well for his extensive philanthropy in the Jewish and civic worlds.

For information on establishing an endowment for the benefit of BEKI contact Rabbi Tilsen at (203) 389-2108 x10. For information on the Jewish Foundation or to schedule a confidential meeting contact its Director, Dr. Deborah Kaplan Polivy, at (203) 387-2424 x304 or at debpol@jon.cjfny.org.


Benei Mitzva Program Launched

In response to requests by BEKI parents, Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel is pleased to announce the creation of the BEKI Benei Mitzva Program for children of BEKI members. The program is designed to provide a combination of peer activities and individual one-on-one instruction. Participants will have the opportunity to learn to lead significant portions of services as well as the fundamentals of what it means to be a bar- or bat-mitzva in our day. Educational and planning support for parents and families will be included.

Parents of BEKI youth planning to celebrate bar- or bat-mitzva from Rosh Hashana 5760 (September 1999) to Pesah 5761 (March 2001) are invited to an informational meeting for the new BEKI Benei Mitzva Program. Meet with Program Coordinator Liora Lew, Education Director Amy Pincus, and Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen to find out what is planned and to offer your input for the coming year. The meeting for parents will be in BEKI's Rosenkrantz Library on Thursday 2 September 1999 at 7:30p to 9:00p. At that time a calendar will be distributed.

Participants will meet on Thursday evenings from 5:15p to 7:15p during the academic year. If your child is planning to celebrate bar- or bat-mitzva please reserve Thursday nights for the Benei Mitzva Program. The first class meeting will be on Thursday 9 September 1999 from 5:45p to 7:15p.

Besides the Thursday evening class meetings, each participant will meet with their tutor on a weekly basis (in most cases) at a time of mutual convenience to be arranged with their assigned tutor.

The BEKI Benei Mitzva Program provides 25 hours of "class time" plus up to 25 hours of individual one-on-one tutoring. The program is designed to provide a complete preparation package for most students. However, students who wish to supplement this "basic" program with additional studies, students with special interests, or students needing extra help, are encouraged to study beyond the scope of the program. Program staff will be glad to help with such arrangements, either within or beyond our program's structure. Our staff is eager to work closely with private tutors such as Ruth Greenblatt to help make these months of preparation the best they can be for our benei mitzva.

In addition to Liora, Amy and Jon-Jay, a team of specially trained and certified teenage tutors will help teach the program. Besides their teaching, it is hoped that these tutors will prove excellent role models for our benei mitzva students.

The program is parent-supported. For more information please call Liora Lew at 389-1048, Amy Pincus at 397-8816, or Rabbi Tilsen at 389-2108 x10.


Darshanim (Speakers) in September

Stephen Wizner (pictured at left) will serve as Darshan (Torah commentator) during Shabbat morning services on 4 September introducing the week of Selihot (penitential) prayers, which begin that evening. Stephen is a BEKI member and has held numerous offices in the Congregation. He lives with his wife Rachel in New Haven.

Rabbi Murray Levine (pictured at right) will serve as Darshan (Torah commentator) during Shabbat morning services on 18 September 1999. The day is known as "Shabbat Shuva," the "Sabbath of Penitance," as it falls between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. Rabbi Levine is a BEKI member and resides in New Haven.


High Holy Days at BEKI


Conservative Selihot

The Conservative-Masorti Synagogues of Greater New Haven joint Selihot observance will begin on Saturday night 4 September at 9:00p with Havdala services. There will be a study hour from 9:15p to 10:15p, followed by refreshments. The selihot service will begin at 11:00p. The observance will be held at Congregation B'nai Jacob, 75 Rimmon Road, Woodbridge CT (389-2111) this year.

The selihot (penitential) prayers are said during the middle of the night during the days immediately before Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. It is believed that a hightened sense of spiritual awareness can be achieved during those hours.


Qever Avot Cemetery Memorial Services

The annual Qever Avot Cemetery Memorial Services will be held at 10:00a at the Hamden Cemetery, and at 11:00a at the West Haven Cemetery on Sunday 5 September 1999. Rabbi Tilsen will lead us in communal prayer and there will be time for individual memorial prayers. Rabbi Tilsen is available for individual prayers as well. Those who wish to visit the graves of their ancestors or loved ones but are unable to do so because of distance are invited to attend along with those whose loved ones are buried in the BEKI cemeteries.


Men's Club Miqva Meet

All Jewish men and boys are invited to the New Haven Mikvah at 86 Hubinger Street on the morning before Rosh HaShana, Friday 10 September from 7:30a to 9:00a, and again on the morning before Yom Kippur, Sunday 19 September from 9:30a to 10:30a.

On the morning before each of the Festivals (High Holy Days, Sukkot, Pesah and Shavuot) Jewish men and boys of the BEKI Men's Club go to the New Haven Mikvah for private individual immersion. (Fathers may enter with their sons.) The miqva ("ritual bath") is a hygienic and warm setting for a "rebirth" experience. The miqva immersion is one way to help us enter a heightened state of purity and spiritual awareness as we prepare for the High Holy Days.

The New Haven Mikvah was designed by BEKI Men's Club member architect Arthur Ratner. The miqva has showers and dressing rooms. Those who would like to participate should bring a $5 user fee (cash or check payable to "New Haven Mikvah") and a comb.


Helping Hands Needed

Be part of Yadayim l'Qehila -- the welcoming hands of our congregation. Help to make participants in our outreach programs to adult Jews with special needs (learning and developmental disabilities and mental health issues) feel at home when they join us for services. Volunteers are asked to commit to attending one function for either Kulanu or Saul's Circle prior to the High Holy Days (although this is not absolutely necessary), and to be present at a given time during one or more services over the fall Festivals (Rosh HaShana through Simhat Torah) to greet participants. Help is also needed in making phone calls to invite and remind people about our programs. Your entire family is welcome to join you at the introductory functions (an Apple Dessert Fest for Kulanu on 30 August; and pre-Rosh HaShana and pre-Yom Kippur services at Fellowship House for Saul's Circle on 9 & 16 September).

Please call Anne Johnston, Special Programs Director, at 389-2108, x33, for information or to volunteer.

AJ


Yamim Noraim: Days of Awe

Rabbi Alan H. Lovins will again serve as our Hazzan Rishon (lead cantor) for the High Holy Days. Dr. Alan Lovins, a BEKI member, is a graduate of Yale University and holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Columbia University. He was ordained as a rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and lives in New Haven with his wife, Trish Loving. In addition to Rabbi Lovins, the services will again be lead by BEKI members serving as volunteer hazzanim. For the seventh consecutive year, Rabbi Tilsen will conduct the services.

Tickets are required for adult entrance to most services. Among other reasons, this is to ensure the safety and security of the Congregation. Full-time students and military personnel on active duty may enter upon presentation of proper identification. Every person in the building must be known and cleared.

Rosh HaShana services begin Friday 10 September at 7:00p (please note that this time was given incorrectly on some early notices). Morning services begin at 8:30a. For a complete schedule of services please call the office at 389-2108 or see the schedule at www.beki.org/schedule.html.

For information on seating and ticketing call 389-2108 ext. 14.

The Last Big Blast

The sound of the shofar is one of the most memorable aspects of the New Year observance. This year, worshippers will really need to rely on those memories, as the shofar is not sounded on the first day of Rosh HaShana because it falls on Shabbat.

On the second day of Rosh HaShana, our services will again include the full sequence of 100 shofar blasts. The shofar is sounded after the Torah service, during Musaf, and again in several sets at the very end of the service.

The shofar is sounded again at the end of Yom Kippur. Everyone with a shofar is invited to bring their shofar before Yom Kippur and to sound it at the end with the final teqia gedola (last big blast) after the Neila (closing) service.

Tashlikh Service Redeems Beaver Ponds Park

Tashlikh ("casting" away sins) services will be held below the Edgewood Bridge in Edgewood Park and at Beaver Ponds, at the bank of the eastern pond, known as the "lagoon," located near the corner of Crescent and Fournier Streets. This is the opposite side of the park from Southern and Jackie Robinson, and is just south of the Animal Shelter. Both services are at 4:30p on Sunday 12 September, before the 5:45p Minha afternoon service in the BEKI Sanctuary. Tashlikh is normally held on the first afternoon of Rosh HaShana but is deferred this year (and next) because the first day coincides with Shabbat.

In the Tashlikh ("expelling") service we stand near a body of water with prayers that our sins be "washed away." The liturgy, including Biblical readings and song, is intended to create a spiritual setting in which we are able to clear ourselves of unwanted thoughts and needs, so that we can progress in the process of Teshuva ("repentance").

To find out more about the Beaver Ponds Project contact Robert Forbes at 782-9101 robert.forbes@yale.edu. See an area map including BEKI and Beaver Ponds Park.




"Healing Service" featured at High Holy Days

"Refu`a Shelema: A Healing Service" will be held on the afternoon of Yom Kippur, Monday 20 September 1999, from 4:00p to 4:25p, in the Posener Daily Chapel. The service is designed to help participants find ways to overcome the pain, isolation, fear and anguish of dealing with illness and disability, and to find sources of strength within tradition and within themselves. All are welcome; reservations or ticket are not required. The service will be lead by Amy Pincus and Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen.



Children's Programs Memorialize Malka Levine

The Rabbi Murray Levine Family is again sponsoring the outstanding High Holy Days programs for children at Beth El-Keser Israel in memory of Malka Levine (pictured at left), who died in May 1996. She was a renowned Jewish educator, the wife of Rabbi Murray Levine, and a beloved member of the BEKI community.

The sponsored children's programs include the Children's Havura for preschoolers, K-2 Kehila and Junior Congregations for differing age groups, and babysitting on each of the three Holy Days. These programs enjoy a reputation for excellence.

These programs are open to all children. For safety and planning reasons, children must be pre-registered to participate in these services. For registration information call 389-2108 ext. 14.


New Sukka at BEKI

The Sukkot ("Booths") Festival begins on Friday night 24 September. The service that evening will be from 6:00p to 6:40p.

This year a new Sukka will be erected for the use of the BEKI community through the generous support of two BEKI families in memory of Moishe Schnitman (early photo at right) and through the Men's Club. BEKI members are free to use the sukka for their meals or for study during the festival, on a first-come-first-served basis. The sukka will be illuminated during the night to facilitate meals and study. Thanks to Jay Brotman, Steven Fraade, Saul Bell and the Ritual Committee for their part in planning the new sukka.

Building a sukka can be fun for the whole family, and it's a mitzva! If you've always wanted to build your own, now is the time. Sukka Kits are available from Steve Henry Woodcraft at 919-489-7325. Members of the Men's Club can be available to help a little, too.

Children's Sukka Crafts Hour

BEKI and neighborhood kids are all invited to the BEKI sukka for crafts and fun on Thursday 23 September 1999 from 4:30p to 5:30p. The program will be held outside in the sukka unless it rains, in which case we'll be inside. Dress accordingly. Please feel free to invite friends and neighborhood children with their adults to join us and help decorate the BEKI sukka! Children are welcome to take home their creations or leave them in the sukka.


Hol HaMoed: What is it all about?

"Hol HaMoed," also known as the "intermediate" days of the festival, are those days between the first two and last two days of Sukkot (and of Pesah). They have a "semi-holiday" status. The rules against melakha ("work") that apply on Shabbat and Festival are not fully in force during this period, although we are encouraged to take this time as a holiday and to avoid work as much as possible. Our weekday morning services are enhanced with a brief Torah reading, the recitation of the musical "Hallel" section of Psalms, and a brief Musaf (additional) service. Weekday morning services thus take 55 to 60 minutes, instead of our usual 30 to 45 minutes. Afternoon and evening services are their usual length. The lulav (branches) and etrog (citron) are waved each morning of Hol HaMoed Sukkot (except Shabbat), and one is obliged to dwell (especially to eat) in a sukka.


Need a letter for Employer or School?

Shul members occasionally need letters to employers or principals explaining the nature of the Jewish holiday observance. Despite the high level of understanding in our community, there is still a need for education and information. It is important that our children be in shul for all of Yontiff.

If you would like such a letter for Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur, or Sukkot, call Rabbi Tilsen at 389-2108 ext. 10 or jjtilsen@beki.org.



Torah for the Hungry Mind

A vital congregation provides not only opportunities for members to pray together, but also for them to study and learn within the synagogue community. Thanks to the dedication of Rabbi Tilsen, as well as the energy of specific congregants, a variety of classes and programs are and have been available at BEKI.

Ongoing programs include the Monday morning Rashi study group, a Mishna study group, the bi-monthly Shabbat Shalom Learners' Minyan, and the Shabbat Minha Pirqei Avot discussions. Also, the Congregation has presented a Tiqun Leil Shavuot program the past several years. In addition, Yiddish and Hebrew language classes, study groups, Torah and Haftora reading workshops, and topical presentations and discussion groups have sporadically been available.

The community has a strong foundation on which to build new educational programs and revive those that have served the congregation in the past. The newly designated Adult Education Committee, chaired by Helen Rosenberg, will seek to meet the need for a dynamic intellectual environment at BEKI by facilitating such program development and encouraging participation in existing activities.

Two priority efforts the committee initially plans to launch are the revival of the monthly Sunday morning breakfast lectures formerly sponsored by the Men's Club, and the formation of a monthly book discussion group.

Please call Helen Rosenberg at 389-9594 to volunteer to serve on the committee, offer ideas on Sunday morning breakfast lecture topics or speakers, on books for the discussion group, or on new classes or programs.

HR



Midrasha Adult Ed

BEKI has joined with the Department of Jewish Education of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven and other area congregations in presenting Midrasha Adult Institute for Jewish Learning. Courses will be held beginning in October. For a schedule of classes, call Valerie Sandler at 387-2424 x316 or Sydney Perry at 387-2424 x302.


Kulanu -- All as One

Our Congregation's outreach, education, and social program for Jewish adults with learning and developmental disabilities continues into its third year, now with the support of the David & Lillian Levine Endowment for People with Special Needs as well as the congregation. We have a full calendar of events planned, from apple desserts before Rosh HaShana to crafts in the late spring.

Kulanu begins the year with an Apple Dessert Fest on Monday 30 August. We will review the themes of the High Holy Days in preparation for joining the congregation for services. Congregants volunteering to be Yadayim L'Qehila, welcoming hands of the congregation, are invited to join us for the Apple Dessert Fest (with their families) so that our faces will be familiar when we greet Kulanu members at specific services over the fall Haggim (Festivals).

On Shabbat 18 September, Kulanu members will be encouraged to join the Singers' Circle, following which Anne Johnston will lead a special Torah study.

Please join us in the BEKI sukka on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (27, 28, 30 September & 1 October) as we review the entire Humash (Pentateuch) in preparation for Simhat Torah. We meet each evening before services. Tuesday 28 September, Jewish Family Services' Shalom Group will join us for dinner in the sukka.

How can you help? Be a greeter (Yadayim L'Qehila). Help set up and serve desserts, provide rides to services, lead Torah study, or calligraph the certificates for those completing the Torah-thon. Or you may make phone calls, stuff envelopes, or go shopping. To offer help, or for information, call Anne Johnston at 389-2108 x33.

AJ


Saul's Circle Debut

King Saul, the first King of Israel, apparently suffered from serious episodic mental illness. Saul's Circle, BEKI's outreach and education program for adult Jewish mental health consumers, is dedicated to redeeming King Saul's memory by ensuring that those living with mental illness know that they have a home in our Congregation.

Thanks to the generous support of the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven, we have this year begun a group to meet the unique needs of mental health consumers. A full calendar of events is planned, with events taking place at BEKI, at Fellowship House (a mental health consumers' club in downtown New Haven), and elsewhere.

Much of the success of this program will depend on our congregants. Together, we need to work to make sure that all who join us for services, congregational meals, and special programs feel welcome. Anne Johnston, BEKI's Special Programs Director, can use volunteer help in a variety of ways, both one-time and long-term.

During the fall Haggim (Festivals), Saul's Circle will meet for pre-High Holy Days services at Fellowship House (9 & 16 September), and members will be invited to join the Congregation for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. The Dalet and Hei classes of the BEKI Religious School will be building a sukka at Fellowship House with Saul's Circle members (22 September), and that sukka will be used on the weekdays of Sukkot (27 September to 1 October) for a Torah-thon, a book a day review of the entire Humash (pentateuch) in preparation for the Simhat Torah festival.

Volunteers are needed to provide rides (for Saul's Circle members and for Religious School students), sing or otherwise assist with services at Fellowship, and, especially, to attend the Fellowship services and then act as Yadayim L'Qehila, welcoming hands of the congregation (greeters) at specific services at BEKI. Call Anne Johnston at 389-2108 x33 to volunteer or for more information.

AJ

Religious School Classes Begin

Religious School classes begin Sunday 19 September 1999 for all students. We are delighted that Terri Stern will continue to serve as Principal. Ms. Stern is a BEKI member along with her husband and has a child enrolled in the school. Terri has retained a superb faculty with some changes and we are confident that educational excellence will again be achieved. New to our faculty this year is Anne Johnston, a creative Jewish educator with a strong background in special education.

Again this fall the Religious School will offer the Talmud Torah Meyuhad for students with special education needs. If your child might benefit from this program, please call Principal Terri Stern (387-9268 or 389-2108 x13) at your earliest opportunity. Talmud Torah Meyuhad is supported by the Department of Jewish Education of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven.

Thanks to George G. Posener for his foresight in establishing The George G. & Leah Posener Fund for Youth Education at BEKI to provide an annual contribution to support BEKI's religious school. We also thank Dr. Ralph Friedman and all those who contribute to the Louis Friedman Scholarship Fund.

We urge all children's participation in either the Children's Shabbat Havura (for preschoolers), K-2 Kehila (for kids in K-2) or Junior Congregation every Shabbat morning year-round at 10:45a to about noon. There is no additional charge for these programs, which reinforce and supplement the School's curriculum.

For more information please call Principal Terri Stern at 387-9268 or 389-2108 x13.


"Snow Days - No School Days" Program

Elementary schools close for scheduled "teacher training" and "parent conference" days as well as unplanned "snow days." Many families need placement for their children on such days. BEKI has a comfortable children's room and library, conveniently located on a State snow emergency route, with ample and convenient parking.

The BEKI "Snow Days - No School Days" program provides an educational and recreational Judaic activity day on scheduled school-closed days when businesses are normally open, and on unplanned "snow days" for the New Haven Public Schools and Ezra Academy. Space is limited. The Program will be held regardless of weather conditions. The Program does not guarantee that streets, sidewalks or the BEKI driveway will be passable. Only the parents determine whether they can safely transport their children to and from the program in inclement weather. Parents will have a "hot line" phone number for last minute information on program plans.

The "Snow Days - No School Days" program will use the Claire Goodwin Youth Room and BEKI's Rosenkrantz Library. Participants bring their own dairy lunch. Snacks are provided. Activities are lead by Anne Johnston, BEKI's Special Programs Director, as well as others under her supervision.

The participation fee is $20 per day or part thereof per child; a "subscriber" discount is available. Pre-payment reserves a space; otherwise, spaces are available on a first-come-first-served basis, with priority to BEKI members. Payment is required before service. Reservations are non-transferable (except between siblings). A pre-payment of $20 reserves a space for the first New Haven or Ezra "Snow Day."

For a list of scheduled school closing dates, or to register, or for more information, please call Anne Johnston at 389-2108 x33 or write her at ajohnsto@connix.com.


Parents of Interfaith Couples

Parents of children in interfaith relationships interested in speaking with other such parents and sharing their concerns and speaking about issues pertaining to their children's relationships are invited to call Rabbi Tilsen at 389-2108 x10 or jjtilsen@beki.org. If a few parents are interested we will get together to talk.



Bible Poetry

Persons interested in studying the Book of Psalms on Thursday mornings at BEKI are invited to call Rabbi Tilsen at 389-2108 x10 or jjtilsen@beki.org, or Helen Rosenberg at 389-9594.


T & E Horwitz Scholarships Awarded

The Awards Committee has chosen two recipients of the Edward & Tillie Horwitz Scholarship Award for 1998-1999 (5759). Awards were made to Marlo Palumbo for his participation in the Spring Shabbaton, and to Sarah Beller for her participation in the Heschel Shabbat. Thanks to Tillie Horwitz & Family for their continuing support.


Rosenkrantz Library Acquisitions

The following books have been purchased through the Ari Nathan Levine Fund:

Class Acts: Plays & Skits for Jewish Settings by Stan Beiner

The Magic Tanach and Other Short Plays by Gabrielle Suzanne Kaplan, 10 copies (thanks to Gilah Benson-Tilsen and Anne Johnston for their expert reviewing skills)

Sedra Scenes: Skits for Every Torah Portion by Stan Beiner, 10 copies.

These books are available for use by those who lead Junior Congregation, and provide enough ready-made, creative material for many services. If you are not currently participating in the Junior Congregation leadership rotation, and would like to (whether or not you have school-age children!), please contact Miriam Benson at 389-6137 or mirbenson@aol.com. We have a dedicated core of Junior Congregation leaders, but can always involve more in this important Shabbat morning service. If you are not ready to lead but would like to learn how, please also contact Miriam, as we have a mentoring system to train those who are willing.


Corporate Donors

Corporations and S-corporations paying Connecticut State income tax may be eligible for significant tax credits (in addition to federal and state charitable deductions) for contributions to approved programs at BEKI. Projects include programs for adults with Special Needs and Energy Conservation. In some cases permanent named Endowments are available.

An individual or corporation can contribute toward any of these programs even if they are not able to take advantage of the tax credits. If you have a connection to a corporation that might be willing to contribute toward any of these programs, or if you might like to contribute in an individual capacity, please contact Rabbi Tilsen at (203) 389-2108 x10 or at jjtilsen@beki.org or Dr. Brian Karsif at 387-9268. The State deadline to apply for the tax credits is the end of September.



Where There's A Will...

Tradition recommends that one bequeath at least 10% of their estate to Tzedaqa (charity) such as to Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel, although in many cases financial advisers and estate lawyers have shown how such gifts can be increased through careful planning that takes tax policies into account. Willing a proportion of one's estate to the Congregation is a concrete way of demonstrating one's commitment to Judaism and establishing a moral example for others.

For many, particularly senior citizens, it is possible to earn a guaranteed 8% or more annual return for life on a secured investment and help the Synagogue at the same time. With as little as $10,000 you can make a charitable remainder gift that allows you and your spouse or other loved one to receive a guaranteed annual interest payment for the rest of your life, all or much of which is tax-free.

If you would like more information on how to make a bequest or a charitable remainder gift for the benefit of BEKI, contact your own attorney or financial consultant, or call estate planning attorney Donna Levine at 787-1633 for a confidential consultation. Attorney Levine will donate her time to help you establish a will or trust for the benefit of the Congregation. You may also contact Stephen Wizner at 432-4800 or Rabbi Tilsen at 389-2108 x10 (or jjtilsen@beki.org) for more information on bequests and endowment opportunities, or call Deborah Kaplan Polivy at the Jewish Foundation (387-2424 ext. 304) for a confidential discussion.

Sisterhood News

A happy, healthy, productive New Year to all! Sisterhood President Adele Tyson and her board are discussing plans for a busy and interesting year. She is looking forward to increased Sisterhood membership. Please join us if you do not yet belong. The more the better! More members help Sisterhood to do more for our beloved BEKI.

AT

LifeCycle

HaMaqom Yinahem Etkhem: We Mourn the Passing of

May the memory of our departed be for a blessing.


Mazal Tov to


BEKI Welcomes New Members & their families who joined in July:

Letters


I would like to thank Rabbi Tilsen for his prayers, good wishes and visits, and Miriam Benson for her visit to West Hartford, and Gilah for the lovely card she made for me. My very best wishes and thanks go to all members of Congregation BEKI and Sisterhood for the contributions to Torah Fund, to Barbara Cushen and Bertha Fleischer for their visit to West Hartford and the beautiful flowers Sisterhood had sent. Many thanks go to Adele Tyson, President of Sisterhood, for honoring my husband Martin in a well-deserved honor for his hard work and dedication. I appreciate the kindness and thoughtfulness. With best wishes,
Regina Faymann



Tiqun HaOlam - Social Action

As we approach the New Year, many new and ongoing projects are in store for us. We would like to make this year a special one by collecting non-perishable canned goods, two from each person, for the Jewish Family Service pantry. We have been asked to help stock the pantry in November. There will be a collection bin in the coatroom from now until the end of November.

Collecting Women's and Children's Clothes in the Best of Condition -- Casa Otonal, founded in 1976, is a comprehensive housing facility that offers meals, cultural events and comprehensive support services to the elderly and disabled Hispanic citizens. Now they are providing job skills training to women ages 18-64, enabling them to go into the work force. The women need suitable clothes for job interviews, so we started a "Clothes For Success Closet" at the training facility. BEKI is collecting women's and children's nearly new clothes for this project. Jewelry, pantyhose, cosmetics and other accessories are also welcome. For more information contact Mimi Glenn at 397-3851. If you have any contacts with clothes designers or manufacturers, please let us know if we can contact them.

Mimi Glenn



Daily Services

Daily services are held most weekday mornings at 7:00a and evenings at 5:45p. Please join us for a service. Consult our Schedule of Services.

Yahrzeit Notices on Bulletin Board


The monthly list of yahrzeits (anniversaries of deaths) and current death notices are posted on the bulletin board opposite the Sisterhood Giftshop. You may wish to consult the lists if you wish to make a special effort to attend services at which your friends or neighbors may be saying qaddish. Please inform Mary Ellen Mack in the office of any corrections or additions that should be made. Individual notices are mailed to congregants two to six weeks before the yahrzeit.


Calling Rabbi Tilsen

Rabbi Tilsen can be reached most days (except Saturdays and Tuesdays) from 6a to 3p and 6p to 10p at 389-2108 x10. When Rabbi Tilsen is on another call or out of the office, you may leave a voicemail message directly for him at x10, or if you prefer, with Mary Ellen at x14.



For more information contact:

Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel
85 Harrison Street at Whalley Avenue
New Haven, CT USA 06515-1724
(203) 389-2108
Fax (203) 389-5899

Go to News & Events List Page

Return to BEKI welcome page

Email to the BEKI Office: beki@snet.net


Email to Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen: jjtilsen@beki.org