- 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
…09 Aug Elm City Winds Concert (in-person) August 9, 2023 7:00 pm Events Elm City Winds Returns: Concert indoors at BEKI Wednesday, August 9 at 7pm, in-person only. This woodwind quintet has created a program for us of […] More Info…
…Join Debby Kahan for an hour of light yoga (all ages) Free for BEKI Members $5 for non-members…
…ncyclopaedia Judaica [Password is “jfgnh”; Click “Gale Ebooks”] New Haven Free Public Library films on Kanopy [Need library card] WiFi and Office Resources WiFi connection is available to members and guests in the Library, Lobby and surrounding areas (except on Shabbat and Festivals). An ethernet connection is available in the Library. How to Donate Books or Funds To donate funds, send your check made payable to “BEKI” with a memo “Library” or “A…
…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…
…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…
…nder Jewish sovereignty that all three religions in Jerusalem have enjoyed free and unfettered access to their holy places.” Surely of the first order of importance for the Zionist program was the preservation of freedom of access of Jews to their Holy Places. Surely, too, would it turn Zionism on its head if the Prime Minister’s pledge were to hold for Christians and Muslims but not for Jews. The principle of broad Jewish access in the area of th…
