For event accessibility needs, please be in touch so we can address them.
Nursery School's Special Purim Thank You to New Rochelle Police In the spirit of Purim and showing gratitude to others, Nursery School classes presented our local police force with challot, dips, and a fantastic thank you card. Thank you to parents Elliot Meiteles, dad of Gezah Bet's Lila, and Heather Horowitz Mazursky, mom of Toddler Time's Sadie, for spearheading this meaningful initiative.
Friday, March 21st 6:30pm Kabbalat Shabbat 6:50pm Candle Lighting
Saturday, March 22nd Parshat Parah Vayakhel 9:00am Shabbat Morning Services 10:30am Mini Minyan (Kasakove) 10:30am Tot Shabbat (Levenson) 10:30am Teen Minyan (Teen Lounge) 11:00am Kavannah
Contemplative Service (Den) This week's kiddush is sponsored by Noah & Michelle Kolodny in honor of the bar mitzvah of their son, Levi. 12:45pm Daf Shevui 6:50pm Mincha/Maariv 7:51pm Havdalah
Come Participate in the Mitzvah of Teffilin Wrapping
and Join for Breakfast Sponsored by Men's Club!
Stay tuned for our Passover 5785 guide early next week!
Vote MERCAZ USA The Chairman of the Knesset's Diaspora Affairs Committee, MK Rabbi Gilad Kariv, has a special message especially for us at Beth El about the important role we can play right here and right now in helping make Israel stronger and the entire Jewish people stronger.
Mazal tov to Noah & Michelle Kolodny on the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Levi and mazal tov also to both of the Rivlin and Kolodny extended families.
Condolences to Carol Perlman on the loss of her brother, Eugene Bellin z"l, and to the rest of the Perlman and Bellin families.
Those marking a simcha, observing the loss of a loved one, or someone who is sick or recovering from an illness have delighted/comforted that their lifecycle event has inspired generosity. If you would like to make a donation to Beth El in honor or in memory, please click here. MISHEBERACH LIST If you would like to add a name to the Misheberach list, please email Rabbi Sitkin at zsitkin@bethelnr.org.
As a service to our members, Beth El includes in this section outside events that may be of interest to members of our community. Listing an event does not constitute endorsement of the event by Beth El.
UPCOMING LECTURE AT JTS "Israel at a Crossroads: Navigating Religion, Democracy, and Justice" on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 1 and 2 at JTS 3080 Broadway (at 122nd St). Topics addressed will include an overview of trends in Israeli society today, the defense of Israel's separation of powers and democracy, the cultural institutions that play a major role in influencing Israel’s future, the role of collective trauma in the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians, majority and minority rights, and the prospects for religious pluralism. Register here.
AUTHOR TALK Counting Backwards by Jackie Friedland on Wednesday, April 2, at 7:00-8:30pm at JCC Mid-Westchester. Jackie Friedland, in conversation with author Samantha Greene Woodruff, will discuss the timely themes of and inspirations for her gripping new novel, Counting Backwards. A legal thriller based on true stories from the 1920s and 2020, the book explores reproductive rights, incarceration, and the expectations placed on women and mothers. Books will be available for sale and there will be a signing after the discussion. Register here.
SIP YOUR WINE, SEND HEROES TO DINE, STRENGTHEN ISRAEL Want to say thank you to an exhausted reserve soldier and equally exhausted "single-parent" spouse? Send them on a date! Perfect for a Purim or Passover gift! Learn mroe on our Israel 360 page.
RUN 4 THEIR LIVES is an opportunity to create community while supporting the releease of the hostages in Gaza. You can read more information about our 'why' at http://Run4lives.org. The group meets weekly on Sunday mornings. Participants can walk or run as much as they would like. Learn more about the upcoming November Israel trip, as well as weekly announcements about meetup locations in the WhatsApp Group, which you can join here.
As Morah Eve nears her due date, we are delighted to share that Morah Lori Lieman will be filling in for Morah Eve once she goes out on maternity leave. Leading up to that day, Morah Lori, who has subbed many times in Anaf Bet throughout the year, will be working more often with Morah Jo. While we will miss Morah Eve, we feel fortunate that this will be a seamless transition for the Anaf Bet class.
We wanted to share a bit about Morah Lori:
Lori lives in New Rochelle with her husband. She has three grown children who are all married, and four wonderful grandchildren who are the loves of her life. This is her third year working as a substitute teacher in our school. Previously Lori worked for over 35 years as an Occupational Therapist, however, during the pandemic, she felt that she needed to do something different. Working at Beth El Nursery School has become a second career for her. She loves working with the children and is so happy to be a part of the greater Beth El community!
We warmly welcome Lori as she officially joins the Beth El Nursery School community! Ronnie and Shery
Parent-Teacher Dialogues are tomorrow, March 19. As a reminder, school will be dismissing at noon for all classes except Shoresh, which dismisses at 11:45am. Please note there will be no after care and no pasta lunch.
Our next Mom's Night Out will be on Thursday, March 20. Reservations must be made by today, March 18, so the necessary materials may be purcased in advance.Details may be found on the flyer below. Click here to register.
Special Persons Day for our Gezah, Anaf and Gesher children will be on Friday, March 28: Gezah classes -- 9:20am - 10:30am, Anaf and Gesher classes -- 9:30am - 10:30am. This is a wonderful opportunity for a grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, special friend, etc. to enjoy the Beth El Nursery School Shabbat experience with your child. Please let your child's teacher know who your special person will be.
Are you interested in joining the Beth El softball team? The Beth El Softball Team is looking to continue its winning ways. They are about to begin their 30th (or so) season in the Westchester Hebrew Softball League (WHSL), which is a very competitive fast-pitch league that includes various other temples and Jewish organizations in Westchester. The games all take place on Sunday mornings, starting in April, and run into the fall (depending on how far into the playoffs they get!!). If you would like to be a part of the team, please call or text Dan Portnoy at (914) 498-0537 or Marc Sininsky at 914-740-3165. Note: Anyone 18 or over may participate (and 15+ if the child of a member). Though playing time is not guaranteed, they have never not played a teammate who came to the game. Please see the flyer below for more details.
Please remember to scroll down so you don't miss out on anything happening in the Nursery School or the greater Beth El community.
Warmly, Ronnie and Shery
Highlights:
Wednesday, March 19 - Parent-Teacher Dialogues; No After Care and no pasta lunch.
Friday, March 28 - Special Persons Day for our Gezah, Anaf and Gesher children.
Monday mornings at approximately 9:15AM, our Anaf and Gesher parents/caretakers/grandparents are invited to the Youth Lounge to celebrate Havdalah together.
Wonderful Parenting Workshops from Project SEED facilitated by Julie Schnur, our Project SEED Consultant
Mabel's Label's Fundraising We are continuing our fundraising through Mabel's Labels. With every order we will earn 20% commission for our school. If you are not familiar with Mabel's Labels, they offer personalized waterproof name labels for your children's items. This is the perfect time to get your orders in before the school year begins. Visit campaigns.mabelslabels.com and choose Beth El Nursery School (New Rochelle) from the organization list. Click here to order.
We are sorry to share that one of our Gezah Aleph friends has strep throat. This child was last in school on Wednesday, March 12, and tested positive last night.
Common symptoms of strep throat include the following:
Throat pain that usually comes on quickly Painful swallowing Red and swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or streaks of pus Tiny red spots on the area at the back of the roof of the mouth (soft or hard palate) Swollen, tender lymph nodes in your neck Fever Headache Rash Nausea Not all sore throats are strep.The only certain way to diagnose strep is through a throat culture. The incubation period is 1-5 days. Please let us know if any other cases develop and we wish a refuah shlema to our classmate.
Friday, March 14th Purim 6:30pm Kabbalat Shabbat 6:43pm Candle Lighting
Saturday, March 15th Parsha Ki Tissa Shushan Purim 9:00am Shabbat Morning Services 10:30am Mini Minyan 10:30am Tot Shabbat This week's kiddush is sponsored by Evan & Liat Snyder in honor of the bat mitzvah of their daughter, Maya. 12:45pm Daf Shevui 6:40pm Mincha/Maariv 7:44pm Havdalah
🎶 New Congregational Melody for Bar and Bat Mitzvah Aliyah
Here is a video with a new congregational melody which we will use when we call up a bar or bat mitzvah child for their first ever Aliyah. It is our hope that everyone will sing this with us, so the entire community will participate in this special honor. Please listen and learn the melody and sing it with us with great enthusiasm when the opportunity presents. Of course you may harmonize on it as well!
Mazal tov to Evan & Liat Snyder on the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter, Maya Snyder, and Mazal tov also to Jack & Hava Simkhay, Daniel & Maria Snyder and Sharon Snyder & Bob Tuttle on the Bat Mitzvah of their granddaughter.
Mazal tov to Kara and Max Kalman on the birth of their daughter, Natalie Diane. Mazal tov also to big siblings Ethan and Dylan. We also wish a Mazal tov to grandparents, Sheryl and Aaron Fleishaker, and to aunt and uncle, Andrea Fleishaker and Jonathan Ravski and aunt and uncle, Sarah and David Fleishaker.
Mazal Tov to Susan & David Schlecker on the birth of their granddaughter, Lilah Beth Shamah, born on March 7, 2025. Mazal Tov also to grandfather Ron Shamah and Beth Shamah (z'l) and parents Rose Schlecker Shamah and Adam Shamah.
Mazal Tov to Robin Freedman on the birth of her granddaughter, Rosalyn Reve, and mazal tov to parents, Hannah Bonomo and Zachary Freedman, and to big brother, Elliot.
Mazal tov to Alexandra and David Hollander on the birth of their son, and mazal tov also to big brother Noah, who is in the Gesher class at Beth El Nursery School.
Condolences to Linda Hyman on the loss of her husband Dov Hyman z"l, to Jennifer (Ben Stauffer) Hyman, Rebecca (Brad) Leader, Sherri Hyman, and Joshua (June Criscione) Hyman on the loss of their father, and to Aurora, Selene, Desmond, Gemma, Spencer, and Violet on the loss of their grandfather.
Those marking a simcha, observing the loss of a loved one, or someone who is sick or recovering from an illness have delighted/comforted that their lifecycle event has inspired generosity. If you would like to make a donation to Beth El in honor or in memory, please click here. MISHEBERACH LIST If you would like to add a name to the Misheberach list, please email Rabbi Sitkin at zsitkin@bethelnr.org.
As a service to our members, Beth El includes in this section outside events that may be of interest to members of our community. Listing an event does not constitute endorsement of the event by Beth El.
JOIN BETH EL MEMBERS AT JOE LIEBERMAN DOCUMENTARY SCREENING FOR Q&A Centered: Joe Lieberman is coming to Regal Cinemas nationwide for a two-night premiere. Member Rebecca Lieberman, Senator Lieberman's daughter, will be participating in Q&A sessions on March 18th at 7:15pm at Regal Union Square in Manhattan, and on March 19th at 7:15pm at Regal New Roc in New Rochelle. Additional showtimes at 4:45 on these days will also take place, and tickets will be half-priced on March 18th for Regal Value Day. Reserve your seats here.
UPCOMING LECTURE AT JTS "Israel at a Crossroads: Navigating Religion, Democracy, and Justice" on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 1 and 2 at JTS 3080 Broadway (at 122nd St). Topics addressed will include an overview of trends in Israeli society today, the defense of Israel's separation of powers and democracy, the cultural institutions that play a major role in influencing Israel’s future, the role of collective trauma in the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians, majority and minority rights, and the prospects for religious pluralism. Register here.
AUTHOR TALK Counting Backwards by Jackie Friedland on Wednesday, April 2, at 7:00-8:30pm at JCC Mid-Westchester. Jackie Friedland, in conversation with author Samantha Greene Woodruff, will discuss the timely themes of and inspirations for her gripping new novel, Counting Backwards. A legal thriller based on true stories from the 1920s and 2020, the book explores reproductive rights, incarceration, and the expectations placed on women and mothers. Books will be available for sale and there will be a signing after the discussion. Register here.
SIP YOUR WINE, SEND HEROES TO DINE, STRENGTHEN ISRAEL Want to say thank you to an exhausted reserve soldier and equally exhausted "single-parent" spouse? Send them on a date! Perfect for a Purim or Passover gift! Learn mroe on our Israel 360 page.
RUN 4 THEIR LIVES is an opportunity to create community while supporting the releease of the hostages in Gaza. You can read more information about our 'why' at http://Run4lives.org. The group meets weekly on Sunday mornings. Participants can walk or run as much as they would like. Learn more about the upcoming November Israel trip, as well as weekly announcements about meetup locations in the WhatsApp Group, which you can join here.
We are so happy to announce a recent birth in the Beth El community. Help us wish a huge mazal tov to the family!
Mazal tov to Alexandra and David Hollander on the birth of their son, and mazal tov also to big brother Noah, who is in the Gesher class at Beth El Nursery School.
If you would like to make a donation to Beth El Synagogue Center in the family's honor, pleaseclick here.
Beth El Synagogue Center 1324 North Avenue New Rochelle, NY 10804
Thank you to everyone who volunteered in the lead up to the Purim Carnival, and we can't wait to celebrate our many Teen Megillah readers tomorrow night!
Once the Purim excitement settles, we have two upcoming events in March. We hope you'll join us for Teen Shabbat: March Madness and Cupcake Wars.
For those interested in service hours, we have regular chesed (community service) on Shabbat mornings for 9th-12th graders. Please see details below.
Module 3 of the Teen Collab at the Mid-Westchester JCC starts March 20. Teen Collab meets on Thursdays from 6:30-8 pm at the Midwestchester JCC, and they have added a new class about Jewish Cooking. Click here for more information.
Upcoming events include:
Wednesday, March 12: Hartman Teen Fellowship Information Session at 8:30 pm. Click here to learn more.
Thursday, March 13: Purim Megillah Reading at 6:40 pm
Thursday, March 20: Teen Collab Module 3 starts. Register here.
Saturday, March 22: Teen Shabbat from 10:30 am-12 pm.Register here.
Saturday, March 22: Cupcake Wars from 8:30-10 pm. Register here.
Shabbat Volunteer Opportunity: Saturdays, 11 am-12 pm weekly We have launched a new supervised play space in the Kasakove for kids on Shabbat morning, and we need your help! We need our high schoolers (9th grade and up) to volunteer for this program on Saturdays from 11 am-12 pm! We are happy to offer service hours. Teen responsibilities include:
Pick up the children from their services (Den or Levenson Chapel).
Walk with them to the Kasakove or to the playground.
Play with them and supervise them in the Kasakove or playground, making sure that everyone is safe, respectful, and behaving appropriately.
Bring the children back to the Sanctuary at the end of the service (or for b’nei mitzvah candy).
Clean up the Kasakove or playground during the end of the service, before you go to Kiddush.
Interested in learning more about our Teen offerings at Beth El, or getting more involved? Reach out to Vered (teens@bethelnr.org) or Alyssa (aberman@bethelnr.org). We're happy to connect!
All the best, Vered and Alyssa
Community Opportunities
Hartman Teen Fellowship: A Note from Rabbi Fisher! Information Session: Wednesday, March 12 at 8:30 pm Grades 9-11 Online
Here’s what I’ve learned as a faculty member for the Hartman Teen Fellowship: Our teens are amazing. They challenge me, the texts we study, and each other; they take their Jewish identities and relationship to Israel seriously; and they delight in connecting with a pluralistic, diverse group of peers from across North America. These teens are already and will continue to be powerful leaders in our communities.
Applications for the next cohort of the Hartman Teen Fellowship are now open. Help inspire the next generation of Jewish leaders by referring rising 10th – 12th graders or encouraging them to apply for this incredible opportunity for the 2025-2026 school year.
To learn more, join me at a virtual open house to meet faculty, staff, and current fellows on March 12 at 8:30 pm.
The Adventure of a Lifetime Starts Right in Your Backyard! USY on Wheels Classic, the ultimate summer adventure, is filling up fast, and we don’t want you to miss your chance! Travel across the country, explore incredible cities and landscapes, and experience Jewish life from coast to coast—all while making lifelong friends and building a tight-knit USY community like no other.
With limited spots remaining, now is the time to lock in your summer adventure. Will you be on board?
Trip Highlights:
Hike the Grand Canyon & explore Yellowstone
Feel the energy of LA, Chicago, and Seattle
Celebrate Shabbat in unique and meaningful places
Build an incredible USY community on the road
This once-in-a-lifetime adventure starts right in your backyard! The journey begins in New Jersey, making it easier than ever to hop on board and hit the road. Don't miss your chance to experience the magic of Wheels—spots are filling fast!
Register today to secure your seat on the bus: usy.org/summer
We are so happy to announce a recent birth in the Beth El community. Help us wish a huge mazal tov to the family!
Mazal tov to Kara and Max Kalman on the birth of their daughter, Natalie Diane. Mazal tov also to big siblings Ethan and Dylan. We also wish a Mazal tov to grandparents, Sheryl and Aaron Fleishaker, and to aunt and uncle, Andrea Fleishaker and Jonathan Ravski and aunt and uncle, Sarah and David Fleishaker.
If you would like to make a donation to Beth El Synagogue Center in the family's honor, pleaseclick here.
Beth El Synagogue Center 1324 North Avenue New Rochelle, NY 10804
We are excited to invite you to join us for our Annual Matanot L'Evyonim Purim Campaign, which closes in just one day!
Purim has four main mitzvot (commandments):
Mishloach Manot (gifts to friends)
Hearing Megillah (twice)
Partaking in a Seudah (feast)
Matanot L'Evyonim (gifts to those with needs greater than our own)
Beth El’s Department of Youth and Family Engagement invites you to join us in fulfilling the fourth mitzvah of Matanot L'Evyonim (gifts to those with needs greater than our own). Participating in our Purim Campaign sends an e-card to your choice of recipients.
A portion of the funds raised will support two organizations: Masorti (The Conservative Movement in Israel)and Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger. This is also the primary fundraiser that helps Beth El’s Youth and Family Community continue to provide exciting programs. By joining us in the Matanot L'Evyonim Purim Campaign, you will have the opportunity to choose as many individuals as you would like to receive an e-card Purim greeting with your donation.
Please contribute by Thursday, March 13, 2025 to participate.
Details:
$36 to participate (includes one name).
Every selection thereafter: $3.00 each per name.
Reciprocity Choices:
"Specific recipients; do not reciprocate to anyone": You do not reciprocate.
"Specific recipients; reciprocate only to anyone sending directly to me/us": You reciprocate only to people who send directly to you (not to the whole community), for $3.00 per name, for a maximum of $180.00.
"Specific recipients; reciprocate to anyone sending to me/us, whether directly or by sending to all": You will reciprocate to everyone sending to you, for a maximum of $180.00.
All potential recipients: Select this to send greetings to our whole community, for $180.00. This option will add every member of the Beth El community to your list of recipients. In lieu of a "thank you gift" for those who donate $180 to the campaign, we'll be sponsoring mishloach manot packages for IDF soldiers in your honor.
