85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org
…16 Mar Stop the Bleed Training March 16, 2023 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Events We’d like more congregants trained in techniques to control bleeding if someone is injured and waiting for first responders to arrive. Training is available via a […] More Info…
…to welcoming those who seek shelter and safety, but it is also a pillar of free, democratic nations. Our religious tradition 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…
…Join Debby Kahan for an hour of light yoga (all ages) Free for BEKI Members $5 for non-members…
…king zone at the northeast corner of the building. EV ReCharging & Parking Free (up to 9 hours) recharging for Electric Vehicles is available next-door at the Whalley & Blake Municipal parking lot. Members who wish to slow-charge with an outdoor 110v outlet in the BEKI lot can get instructions from the office. BEKI’s 88-car parking lot is for BEKI members, guests and visitors. By Car From New York Via I-95: Take I-95 North to right Exit 43 “Downto…
…Join Debby Kahan for an hour of light yoga (all ages) Free for BEKI Members $5 for non-members…
…Group BINA (our religious school) Teen Kesher USY and Kadima youth groups Free High Holy Day tickets Support from our Hesed Committee Shiva minyanim Choice of two affiliated cemeteries Programming for children and adults All Jews are invited to become members of BEKI, including: Jews by birth and Jews by choice (converts) Jews in mixed marriages and couples who are both Jewish Jews of all races Jews of all gender identities or sexual orientations…
…bis. Our president, Donna Levine, explicitly said to me, “Jon-Jay, you are free to change your sexual orientation.” It is commonly believed that Beth El or Keser Israel has engaged quietly gay rabbis in the past. Our congregation, like many, simply accepts Gay and Lesbian individuals and families on the same basis as we accept everyone else. If you’re Jewish, and your check clears the bank, you can be a member. There are no ritual debilities and n…
…This recognition emerges from a study of Midrash, in which the sages felt free to create dialog for God for educational or inspirational purposes. While Midrash expresses profound truth, no one other than the fundamentalist or ignoramus would claim it to be an actual record of Divine dialog or veritable history. More than that, our sages recognized that any literary presentation of God is inherently limited by human experience and intelligence. R…
…documented by the Mishna and other rabbinic texts, endorses the values of free speech, intellectual integrity and democracy. Individual sages were allowed to teach whatever they actually believed, even if it was not in keeping with the majorityʼs view. The sages could speak their minds and vote their consciences. It is true that the State of Israel has an official “Chief Rabbinate” (actually, two official Chief Rabbinates) whose determinations on…
…Torah publicly, but usually don’t because they haven’t yet learned how. We promote youth reading Torah because we are a learning congregation with a progressive outlook (or, alternatively, we are desperate for more Torah readers). Thanks to the Qiddush Committee, formed in 2004, for substantially enhancing the food presentations after Shabbat and Festival services. This has significantly improved the experience of members and visitors. The efforts…