85 Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515-1724 | P: 203.389.2108 | office@beki.org
Matok @ BEKI News
Matok is young children’s programming at BEKI. Matok means “sweet” in Hebrew, and we hope that our programming brings sweetness to your world!
PURIM IS COMING!
Two Ways to Prepare This Sunday!
10-11:30 AM at BEKI: Help “Bake and Freeze” Food for our communal Purim celebration, contact Margie Wiener at marjoriewiener@yahoo.com
2-5 PM at the JCC: Jewish Community Extravaganza, a Purim-themed event for all ages, free and open to all, register here
Read below for more info on BEKI’s Purim celebration for kids and families on Sunday morning March 24, including a call for volunteers at our Purim carnival
In This Edition
Saturday: Shabbat Children’s Services
Sunday, 9 AM-12 PM: BINA Meets
Sunday, 10-11:30 AM: “Bake and Freeze” Food for Purim–Volunteers Needed!
Sunday, 2-5 PM: Jewish Community Extravaganza at the JCC
Wednesday, 4-6:15 PM: BINA Meets
March 1-24: Nine-Item Food Drive at BEKI for CCA
Save the Date: Sunday, March 24, 9:30 AM-12 PM: Purim Celebration and Carnival
Fun with the Parsha: Vayakhel
* Saturday: Shabbat Children’s Services
All children’s services will meet in their regular locations.
Children’s Havura (Birth-Preschool) meets inside in the preschool classroom.
K-2 Kehila (Kindergarten-2nd Grade) meets in classroom 6.
Junior Congregation (3rd-6th Grade) meets in the library.
* Sunday, 9 AM-12 PM: BINA Meets
BINA will meet as usual on Sunday morning.
* Sunday, 10-11:30 AM: “Bake and Freeze” Food for Purim–Volunteers Needed!
Volunteers needed to help prepare food for Purim!
Our celebration on Purim will include a full lunch for all families and BEKI members. Join us at 10 AM on March 10 to “bake and freeze” baked ziti and other dishes, which will be served on the holiday. The cooking will be led by an experienced BEKI kitchen volunteer. No special experience required!
Contact Margie Wiener at marjoriewiener@yahoo.com if you can help.
* Sunday, 2-5 PM: Jewish Community Extravaganza at the JCC
This Sunday is the Jewish Community Extravaganza, a topsy-turvy, Purim-themed event for all ages!
Visit booths for Jewish camps, preschools, kosher catering, entertainment–and one for BEKI, too! Enjoy a Purim-themed festival with raffles, a costume parade, crafts, games, face painting and more. Event is free; register here.
* Wednesday, 4-6:15 PM: BINA Meets
BINA will meet as usual on Wednesday afternoon.
* March 1-24: Nine-Item Food Drive at BEKI for CCA
Any time up until Purim, bring food donations to BEKI to benefit CCA and its Client Choice Food Pantry in the Hill neighborhood.
They are asking for only items from this list of most requested foods: rice, cereal, peanut butter, jelly, pasta, pasta sauce, shelf-stable milk, shelf stable juice, and canned fruit. Please join us in this effort to provide what is needed most!
* Save the Date: Sunday, March 24, 9:30 AM-12 PM: Purim Celebration and Carnival
On Sunday morning, March 24, BEKI will be celebrating Purim in style! Put on your best costumes, and join us for a Megillah reading; a carnival with games and activities galore; and a festive meal for the whole community.
9:00 AM – Shacharit Service in Sanctuary
9:30 AM – Megillah Reading in Sanctuary – This is when we recommend families arrive!
10:30 AM-12:00 PM – Carnival in Upstairs Social Hall
11:00 AM-12:00 PM – Purim Seudah (Meal) in Downstairs Social Hall
We are seeking volunteers to help run carnival booths with games and activities. There will be two shifts, 10:30-11:15 and 11:15-12:00. The booths will be fully planned and outfitted–all we need is you! Contact Annie at anormanschiff@beki.org to volunteer.
* Fun with the Parsha: Vayakhel
For many weeks now, we have been getting instructions about how to build the Mishkan, the traveling sanctuary for God’s presence. Now, with Parshat Vayakhel, we put those instructions into action.
The lead artist, architect, craftsman, and builder in the project of building the Mishkan is Betzalel. Moses says that God gave Betzalel “a divine spirit of skill, ability, and knowledge in every kind of craft” (Exodus 35:31). This teaches us that the things we are especially good at come from God. It’s good to learn more and get better at the activities we like the best, and who knows, we might even get the chance to use those skills to help God and the Jewish people!
There is even a famous art school in Israel named after Betzalel.
This parsha also gives us a reminder of the importance of Shabbat, and rest. Even while doing the holy work of building the Mishkan, Betzalel and the other builders always observed Shabbat. No work is more important than the holy rest we do on Shabbat (the only exception is saving a person’s life, which always comes first!)
Annie Norman-Schiff