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Worship Service Schedules

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Daily, Shabbat and Festival worship services at BEKI are traditional, egalitarian and participatory. The liturgy is the standard Conservative Ashkenazi Hebrew siddur as represented by Siddur Sim Shalom, Siddur Sim Shalom – Shabbat & Festivals edition and Or Hadash — A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom; the full Torah reading is read according to the traditional annual cycle. Doors open 15 minutes before scheduled service times. The building is accessible to those using wheelchairs and with limited mobility by entering through the front main doors on Harrison Street or through the East Entrance from the parking area. Most services take place at floor level enabling all to approach the reader's table and Torah reading table. Children's participation is encouraged in all services and special Youth Services are often available concurrent to main services.

Daily, Pesaḥ, Shavuot & Federal Holiday Services

Daily Service Times
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Shabbat
9:00a-9:30a 7:00a-7:45a 7:00a-7:30a 7:00a-7:30a 8:15a-9:00a 7:00a-7:30a 9:15a-noon
5:45p-6:15p 5:45p-6:15p 5:45p-6:15p 5:45p-6:15p 5:45p-6:15p 6:00p-6:45p *see below
For Federal Holidays, Special Days and Festivals see below

Federal Holidays & Special Days

Sunday and weekday morning services 9:00a (not 7:00a) on 1 January, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day (Fourth of July), Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving and 25 December.

No Afternoon or Evening services on Thanksgiving and first and second nights of Passover unless otherwise announced

Festival Morning Services: 9:15a - noon
Festivals include the first and last two days of Pesaḥ, both days of Shavuot, the first two days of Sukkot, Shemini Atseret and Simḥat Torah (see below)
Hoshana Rabba Morning Service: 7:00a to 9:00a (2008)
Festival & Tisha BeAv Evening Services: Call 203-389-2108

Shabbat Services תפילות שבת

Shabbat (Sabbath - Saturday) Services תפילות שבת
Applies year-round except for Rosh HaShana & Yom Kippur
Day Frequency Service Begins Ends Place
Friday Afternoon & Evening Every Week Qabbalat Shabbat & Maariv 6:00p 6:45p George Posener Daily Chapel
Saturday Morning Every Week Shaḥarit & Musaf 9:15a noon Sanctuary
Every Week Children's Ḥavura (Preschoolers) 10:45a noon Claire Goodwin Youth Room
Every Week K-2 Kehila
(Grades K-2)		 10:45a noon Classroom 6
Every Week Junior Congregation 10:45a noon Classroom 4
Most Weeks Cosmic Conversations for Youth 10:45a noon Lower Lobby
Every Other Week Learners' Minyan 10:45a noon Office
Saturday Afternoon Every Week Minḥa 5:45p (Apr-Oct) or
20 min. before Sundown
(Nov-Mar)		 40 minutes George Posener Daily Chapel
Nov-Mar Study
 After Minḥa
(Nov-Mar)		 30 minutes George Posener Daily Chapel
Nov-Mar Evening Service after Study
(Nov-Mar)		 15 minutes George Posener Daily Chapel
Nov-Mar Havdala
(Nov-Mar)		 after Maariv 5 minutes George Posener Daily Chapel

If you cannot attend services at BEKI, please consult the service schedule of other local United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism congregations.


Sukkot & Shemini Atseret - Simḥat Torah
Festival Services 2008 - 5769
סֻכות שמיני עצרת שמחת תורה תשס״ט

Lulav & etrog are used each morning from the beginning of Sukkot through the morning of Hoshana Rabba, but not including Shabbat. For information on ordering a lulav and etrog, contact the office at office@beki.org. Some services, and Shabbat Qiddush, are held in the sukka, weather permitting. Please dress accordingly. During Hol HaMoed and Hoshana Rabba (except on Shabbat), some wear tefillin until Hallel is begun; others do not wear tefillin during this period. The BEKI Moishe Schnitman Sukka is open for use to members and their guests, supporters and neighbors; no representation is made by the synagogue concerning the kashrut of food brought by members and their guests, supporters and neighbors for personal use.



Sukkot & Shemini Atseret - Simḥat Torah
Service Times 2008 - 5769
Holy Day Date Service/Event Begins Ends Place
Pre-Sukkot Sunday 12 October 2008 Sukka Build 9:30a noon Courtyard
Sukkot Eve Monday 13 October 2008 Minḥa Afternoon 5:45p 6:00p George Posener Daily Chapel or Moishe Schnitman Sukka
Candle Lighting 5:54p*
Festival Maariv Evening 6:00p 6:35p George Posener Daily Chapel or Moishe Schnitman Sukka
Sukkot First Day Tuesday 14 October Festival Shaḥarit Morning 9:15a noon Main Sanctuary
Sukka Hop 12:30p 5:00p Westville Neighborhood & Moishe Schnitman Sukka
Festival Minḥa Afternoon 5:45p 6:00p George Posener Daily Chapel or Moishe Schnitman Sukka
Festival Maariv Evening 6:00p 6:30p George Posener Daily Chapel or Moishe Schnitman Sukka
Candle Lighting after 6:57p*
Sukkot Second Day Wednesday 15 October 2008 Festival Shaḥarit Morning 9:15a noon Main Sanctuary
Festival Minḥa Afternoon 5:45p 6:00p George Posener Daily Chapel or Moishe Schnitman Sukka
Thursday 16 October 2008 Shaḥarit Morning 8:15a 9:30a George Posener Daily Chapel or Moishe Schnitman Sukka
Minḥa (Afternoon) & Maariv (Evening) 5:45p 6:15p George Posener Daily Chapel or Moishe Schnitman Sukka
Friday 17 October 2008 Shaḥarit Morning 7:00a 8:15a George Posener Daily Chapel or Moishe Schnitman Sukka
Erev Shabbat Hol HaMoed Minha and Maariv Evening 6:00p 7:00p George Posener Daily Chapel or Moishe Schnitman Sukka
Shabbat Hol HaMoed 18 October 2008 Shabbat Hol HaMoed
Shaḥarit Morning(USA)		 9:15a noon Main Sanctuary
Children's Shabbat Ḥavura (Preschoolers) 10:45a 11:30a Claire Goodwin Youth Room
K-2 Kehila
(Grades K-2)		 10:45a 11:30a Classroom 6
Junior Congregation 10:45a 11:30a George G. Posener Daily Chapel
Qohelet – Ecclesiastes Follows Haftara Main Sanctuary
Minḥa (Afternoon) 5:45p 6:25p George Posener Daily Chapel or Moishe Schnitman Sukka
Maariv (Evening) & Havdala 7:07p 7:25p George Posener Daily Chapel or Moishe Schnitman Sukka
Sunday 19 Oct 2008 Shaḥarit Morning 9:00a 10:10a George Posener Daily Chapel or Moishe Schnitman Sukka
Minḥa (Afternoon) & Maariv (Evening) 5:45p 6:15p George Posener Daily Chapel or Moishe Schnitman Sukka
Hoshana Rabba Monday 20 October 2008 Shaḥarit Morning 7:00a 9:00a George Posener Daily Chapel or Moishe Schnitman Sukka
Minḥa (Afternoon) 5:45p 6:00p George Posener Daily Chapel
Candle Lighting 5:45p
Shemini Atseret Festival Maariv Evening 6:00p 6:20p George Posener Daily Chapel
Shemini Atseret Tuesday 21 October 2008 Festival Shaḥarit Morning 9:15a noon Main Sanctuary
Yizkor Memorial Service 10:30a 10:45a Main Sanctuary
Festival Minḥa Afternoon 5:45p 6:00p Main Sanctuary
Simḥat Torah Festival Maariv Evening & Haqafot (Dancing) 6:30p 8:00p Main Sanctuary & Social Hall
Candle Lighting after7:01p
Simḥat Torah Wednesday 22 October 2008 Festival Shaḥarit Morning 9:15a 1:00p Main Sanctuary & Social Hall
Haqafot (Dancing) 10:00a 10:50p Main Sanctuary
Minḥa Afternoon 6:00p 6:15p George Posener Daily Chapel
Havdala (Home Ritual) after 7:01p after 7:02p George Posener Daily Chapel or Moishe Schnitman Sukka
* Unless otherwise indicated, candles may be lighted at or before time given



Candle Lighting Times הדלקת נרות

The sanctuary of Congregation Beth El–Keser Israel is located at approximately North 41° 19' 43.10" West 72° 57' 41.80" and is about 70 feet (21 meters) above sea level. Candle lighting times are calculated for that location and are rounded back to the nearest minute so the lighting time will be 18 to 19 minutes before the halakhic (Jewish legal) definition of sunset. The halakhic sunset will be about one minute later than civil sunset. If you are within New Haven or its surrounding towns your recommended lighting time will be within a minute of the time listed below, well within the "safety margins" established by tradition.

For candle lighting times for the New Haven Area, enter ZIP Code 06515 at USCJ Candlelighting Times Guide.

For candle lighting times and additional time parameters, see MyZmanim for New Haven and adjust elevation to 21 meters where applicable. The bottom left of the screen provides a date menu.

For a Hebrew Calendar Add-on with candle lighting times for Mozilla Firefox, see https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1379.

Want to know who is scheduled to lead the services? Consult the Service Leader Rotation Schedule to see who is doing what where on Shabbat Evenings, Mornings and Afternoons.



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

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