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More Announcements
For the Week starting February 26:Shabbat Shalom and Chag Purim SameachPlease join us this Friday night at 6:15pm for Kabbalat Shabbat Services. Cantor Fine will speak about his recent Sabbatical: To Israel and Back: Journeys of an Itinerant Cantor.Alan Cooper will lead Torah Talk on Tetzaveh starting at 9:00am on Shabbat morning. Have you ever wondered about the story of Purim?! Come to Shabbat morning services this Saturday from 9:30-11:30am and then join in a communal study of the Book of Esther. We will take an in-depth look at the characters, their strengths and their shortcomings, in search of the true heroes. During services we will be celebrating Rabbi Orenstein's 75th birthday and the babynaming of Ashley Reese Slutzky, daughter of Andrew & Robyn Slutzky and grandaughter of Cheryl & Mark Slutzky. And remember that Shabbat happens come rain, sleet or snow. We encourage you to be safe, so maybe enjoy a nice brisk walk to Beth El this Shabbat!! Our Purim celebration starts on Saturday evening at 6:45pm. See details below. NEXT STEPS cancelled due to the inclement weather.Monthly calendar and program flyers:Beth El's Calendar and Flyers Shabbat Shalom
This week’s Torah portion is Tetzaveh. Click below for this week's JTS Torah Commentary: http://www.jtsa.edu/Conservative_Judaism/JTS_Torah_Commentary.xml 6:15pm: Kabbalat Shabbat Services Cantor Fine will speak about his recent Sabbatical: To Israel and Back: Journeys of an Itinerant Cantor
Shabbat
this Week at Beth ElIMPORTANT RENOVATION UPDATE:Due to construction portions of the parking lot will be closed to traffic. The parking lot will be difficult to navigate Monday, March 1 - Friday, March 5. We have arranged to have a school car pool drop-off line on Kilburn Avenue. Please read the details below. - Preschool families should plan on dropping their child/ren off on Kilburn Avenue for the week. - Wednesday JLC classes (Gimmel to Zayin students) should plan on dropping off and picking up on Kilburn Avenue, per Morah Sherri's instructions. Kilburn Avenue is located off Prospect Avenue 1 block south of Irvington Avenue. Please drive your car around the cul-de-sac and pull up to the person directing traffic. After turning off your engine the children will be unloaded from your vehicle and escorted by teachers into the building. The procedure will be reversed when you return to pick up your children after school. NOTE: If you do not have children in the school, please try to avoid the Kilburn Avenue entrance during the high traffic school drop off and pick up hours: Monday-Friday at 9:00am, noon and 2:00pm, and Wednesday at 3:45pm and 5:45pm. We are sorry for the inconvenience. As always, safety is our top priority. We ask that you exercise caution and patience. Thursday, March 4, 7:45 pm Beth El Sisterhood and Aviva Hadassah are co-sponsors for this challenging program where Sylvia Orenstein and Roberta Elliot, VP of Media and Communications for HIAS, will speak about their volunteer work providing comfort to asylum seekers. RSVP to Claire Asarnow at casarnow1@aol.com or 973-762-3780. Thursday, March 4, 8:00pm Next Steps program will include "Understanding Personal Prayer" with Cantor Fine. Bear for Haiti Prodigy Hall (a Small Learning Community at Orange Middle School) is collecting New Teddy Bears (with the tags still on) for the children of Haiti. Please bring your new bears to Congregation Beth El, Monday-Thursday, 9:00am to 5:00pm; till 2:00pm on Friday. Upcoming Programs and Services at Beth ElFriday, March 5, 6:15pmKabbalat Shabbat with Peninnah Schram See sidebar for details. RSVP for free babysitting and Shabbat dinner to Rosemary in the office by March 1. New lower prices - $15/adult, $8/child. Children under 5 are free. Max $40/family. Saturday, March 6, 9:30am Synaplex Shabbat with Peninnah Schram 10:15am: Meditation with Karen Frank See sidebar for details. Sunday, March 7, 8:30am JTS Rare Book Room Tour see sidebar for details. Sunday, March 7, 2:30pm Sacrifice of the Son: A Multifaith Trialogue Featuring Rabbi Alan Brill, Pastor Boyer, and Imam Shareef, a Beth El sponsored community discussion of the Akeda (the sacrifice of Isaac) and its role in the three main monotheistic religions. This event will be held at the Baird Center, 5 Mead Street, South Orange. Sunday, March 14, 10:30am An Ancient Tradition Comes to Life: Beth El's Chevra Kadisha, One Year Later Beth El's Chevra Kadisha is now one year old and the congregation is beginning to feel its positive impact. At this program, Rabbi Roston will moderate a discussion for the entire congregation, about how our engagement with the mitzvoth to honor the dead and comfort the mourner impact us all. Whether as mourners, or as members of a community seeking to provide comfort, we have learned important lessons about what we can do for ourselves and others at times of inevitable loss. For many, these lessons have been deeply moving, spiritual experiences that have brought us closer to our tradition and to each other. Please come to share your experiences, learn more about the Jewish traditions and their power to provide comfort and strengthen our community. This event is open to the entire congregation, not just Chevra Kadisha members, so please plan to join the conversation. SAVE THE DATESunday, June 6, 7:00pm at SOPACCantor & Friends A Celebration of Cantor Fine's 18th Anniversary at Beth El COMMUNITY EVENTSThursday, March 11, 8:00 - 9:00am Learn How JNF is Combating the Water Crisis in IsraelIn just one hour, you will learn about JNF many water projects to help alleviate the current water crisis in Israel. Complimentary breakfast 8:00-9:00am; registration begins at 7:30am. Held at the West Orange JCC, 760 Northfield Ave., W. Orange. To register, contact wkeil@jnf.org or 973-593-0095. Thursday, March 11, 7:30pm Ethics in the Field: An inside Look at the Israel Defense IDF Colonel (res.) Bentzi Gruber will present classified IDF footage and fascinating, individual accounts from the field in an up close and personal perspective on wartime ethics. Held at the Alex Aidekman Family Jewish Community Campus, 901 Route 10, Whippany. Event is free with limited space. Call 973-929-3043 for more information. Ramah Outdoors Adventure is a combination of Outward Bound meets Camp Ramah. Base camp in the Rocky Mountains and from there campers hike, horseback ride, go white water rafting. This program is geared for children entering 8th, 9th, or 10th grades. Learn more at www.ramahoutdoors.org. Get $1,000 for Camp! UJC MetroWest together with the Foundation for Jewish Camp is offering first-time campers a grant of $1,000 to attend any one of 40 sleepaway camps in the local area and more than 100 across the U.S. Visit onehappycamper.org for full details! BETH EL MISC.NEW! The Beth El Babysitters ClubThe Membership Committee of Beth El is pleased to announce its first Babysitter's Club! If you are available for, or in need of part-time babysitting, members of the club will be placed on a list of participants which will provide name, age, school, days available, if they drive, if they are First Aid certified, and phone number. If interested, please contact Samantha Kaminsky at SamanthaKaminsky@hotmail.com or 973-762-5268. Pay Down Your Dues with New Scrip Program Support Beth El and reduce your dues by purchasing scrip! Beth El now offers scrip GIFT CARDS for purchase by our members at hundreds of retailers like the Gap, CVS, Target, Barnes & Noble, Macy's, an Best Buy to name a few; through ScripPro as well as our local grocery stores. All of your purchases earn a credit of the discount enjoyed by Beth El for the first $120 for a family and 1/2 of the discount earned thereafter. Contact David Beyth at iowa1977@aol.com or 973-207-6940 for more info or delivery of Eden Gourmet, Kings, ShopRite, Pathmark, A&P, Zayda's, and Maple Kosher scrip. This is a great fundraiser for Beth El while also saving you money! Do all your online shopping through AMAZON and Beth El earns cash. You must use the Amazon link at www.bethelnj.org. Click and start shopping! Beth El Tributes are the perfect way to show you care! Send a card to celebrate a simcha or to honor or memorialize a loved one. Easy online form at http://www.bethelnj.org/contactus/tributes.shtml or call 973-763-0111 for assistance. Celebrate a simcha with us! You can enhance a congregational kiddush for as little as $100 to celebrate a simcha. Contact Stuart Skolnick also about sponsoring Kiddush or providing bimah flowers on Shabbat, please call Stuart Skolnick to make arrangements. Annual Giving Campaign - Many of you have been contacted for this year's Annual Giving fundraising drive. This campaign provides approximately 10% of our congregation's annual budget. If you have already made your pledge, we thank you for your generosity. If you have not yet pledged, please send in your pledge today. Be as generous as you can be. Pledges can be phoned into the office (973-763-0111) or emailed to sskolnick@bethelnj.org. Beth El CD Available! There is new music in services and we want you to experience it! If you are a regular in Shabbat morning services, or you haven't been in a long time, if you are interested in learning new melodies to help lead services or you just like to hear the Cantor and Rabbi sing.....we have a CD for you! Cantor Fine and Rabbi Roston have recorded a new CD: Congregation Beth El Shabbat Experience: New Melodies for the Morning Service. CD's are available in the office and the melodies will also be available as downloads in mid-July at www.bethelnj.org. As we continue to enhance our Shabbat services so that they will be inspiring, energizing and participatory, we need your participation and input. We hope this CD engages you and welcomes you to participate in Shabbat services in a new way! |