We hope this message finds you, your loved ones, and friends safe during these challenging times. On Saturday, the Jewish people experienced an unimaginable trauma – attacks from Hamas on Israel. We are devastated, scared, and angry. As alumni of the Beth El teen community and current college students and young professionals, we want to offer an opportunity for us to gather online and process what we are experiencing this week, together.
Please join Bekkah Gold, current teen advisor at Beth El and Director of Israel Education for RootOne at The Jewish Education Project, for an online conversation on Sunday, October 15 at 5:00 pm EST.Please click here to register - and feel free to forward to your Beth El alum friends.
This is meant to be an open conversation, flowing based on the needs of those of you who join. Here, we can talk about what is happening in Israel, what you might be experiencing on college campuses and in your places of work or social circles, and create an open space for dialogue, questions, emotions, actions, and whatever else this group needs in the moment.
We are working on putting together some resources for you during this difficult time as well. In the meantime, we reciommend reading this Times of Israel article and this fact sheet from the IAC for an overview of the last few days, curated by our friends at The Jewish Education Project.
You may be wrestling with complicated, difficult feelings right now, exacerbated by what you see and hear on social media and the news. You may be confused, frustrated, or disagree with what you see or the people around you. Please know that you are not alone. No matter what you are feeling, it is valid. These are trying times. It is normal and human to hold contradictory thoughts and opinions, and for new information to impact what we are thinking and where we stand. These conversations scheduled are meant to help you navigate this difficult period. If you want or need additional support, please reach out to Bekkah or any of the Beth El clergy.
In light of the events in Israel and how it is being shared on social media, we are discouraging you from clicking on photos and videos, as they are incredibly hard to see (and unsee). We are here to support you.
Hope to see you on Sunday.
Am Yisrael Chai,
Bekkah Gold and the Beth El Team
PS Parents receiving this email, please share with your college- and young professional-age children in case we do not have their email addresses. Thank you.
Beth El Synagogue Center 1324 North Avenue New Rochelle, NY 10804
We hope this message finds you, your loved ones, and friends safe during these challenging times. On Saturday, the Jewish people experienced an unimaginable trauma – attacks from Hamas on Israel. We are devastated, scared, and angry. As a part of the Beth El teen community and after shared experiences in solidarity with Israel this week at Beth El and in Westchester County, we want to offer a few chances for the teen community in particular to come together and process what is happening in Israel and what you can do from here.
In the next few days:
Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 11, 6:30-8:00 pm: During our regular Wednesday Lounge Night time at Beth El, we are inviting all teens (8th-12th grade) and any friends to join us for an in-person space to spend time, eat dinner, talk about is happening in Israel, and create an open space for dialogue, questions, emotions, actions, and whatever else this community of teens is seeking. Please join us. All teens are welcome. Please contact Bekkah with questions or concerns, and to let us know you can be there.
Thursday, October 12, 6:30-8:00 pm: The Teen Collab (details below) begins on Thursday and there will be opportunities for processing then as well.
Saturday, October 14, 10:15 am-12:00 pm: This Saturday is our first teen Shabbat service of the year. Although we are excited for the first teen service of the year, we are coming in with heavy hearts and will leave plenty of time to utilize Jewish text and liturgy to unpack some of what we are experiencing as North American Jews during this time. You can reach out to Rabbi Zisser to participate or with any questions.
To stay connected:
Get Informed: We will do our best to provide you with online resources to learn about what is happening on the ground in Israel. In the interim, we recommend reading this Times of Israel article and this this fact sheet from the IAC for an overview of the last few days, put together by our friends at The Jewish Education Project.
Connecting with Israeli Friends and Family: Many of you may have friends and family in Israel. Overwhelmingly, we are hearing how meaningful it is for our friends and family in Israel to hear from us and now we are thinking of them. If you are comfortable, we urge you to reach out to the people in your life in Israel.
You may be wrestling with complicated, difficult feelings right now, exacerbated by what you see and hear on social media and the news. You may be confused, frustrated, or disagree with what you see or the people around you. Please know that you are not alone. No matter what you are feeling, it is valid. These are trying times. It is normal and human to hold contradictory thoughts and opinions, and for new information to impact what we are thinking and where we stand. These conversations scheduled are meant to help you navigate this difficult period. If you want or need additional support, please reach out to Alyssa,Bekkah, Rabbi Zisser, or any of our clergy.
Typically, we'd encourage you to follow us on Instagram @bethelnr_teens. In light of the events in Israel and how it is being publicized, we are discouraging you from going on social media at this moment in time. If you do choose to log into social media, please try not to click on photos and videos, as they are incredibly hard to see (and unsee). We are here to support you.
We hope to see you tomorrow and this weekend,
Bekkah and The Teen Leadership Board
Teen Collab: begins Thursday, October 12 Thursdays, 6:30-8:00 pm at the JCC Mid-Westchester for 8th-12th graders The Teen Collab is a joint project of six Conservative Synagogues in Southern Westchester. Teens from all six synagogues meet weekly to connect, socialize and learn. We offer three modules, and each module has options for two courses.
We meet on Thursdays from 6:30-8:00 pm at the JCC Mid-Westchester, and each module is about 8 sessions.
Module 1: October to December
Jewish Spirituality
A Taste of World Jewry
Module 2: January to early March
The Ethical Life: Jewish Values in an Age of Choice
Israeli TV: Checkout
Module 3: mid-March to May
Jewish and Israeli Art & Artists
Jewish Youth Climate Movement
Cost: Each module is $300, or you can sign up for all 3 for $750.
-- October Lounge Night Wednesday, October 18, 6:30-8:00 pm for 8th-12th graders; in the Youth Lounge at Beth El Join us for pizza, video games, friends, and a dessert bar! Bring yourselves, your homework, and/or your Beth El friends! There will be space to process the situation in Israel as well. Register atwww.bethelnr.org/teenloungenights. Lounge Nights happen monthly on the following Wednesdays all year long: Nov. 29, Dec. 13, Jan. 24, Feb. 28, Mar. 13, April 17, and May 8. Mark your calendars! Questions? Want to help plan? Contact teens@bethelnr.org.
Other Community Events & Programs
USY Fall Convention: USY2K November 17-19 on the Jersey Shore for all 8th-12th graders
Join NY and Hagalil for their Fall Convention! The hotel is the Days Inn Hotel by Wyndham in Toms River, and transportation is available from Queens, Livingston and Highland Park.
Cost: $349 (early bird registration), $374 (until November 3) -- Tzelem for Trans, Nonbinary, Gender Expansive, and LGBTQ+ Jewish Teens in Westchester, NY Located at Congregation Kol Ami, 252 Soundview Ave., White Plains, NY 10606
Moving Traditions and Keshet are excited to partner and bring you Tzelem for Trans, Nonbinary, Gender Expansive, and LGBTQ+ Jewish teens in Westchester, NY. Tzelem offers a safe, supportive space to make new friends and explore issues like: Life transitions; Healthy Relationships; Body Positivity; Self-Compassion; Mental Health; Jewish Identity; And much more!
All sessions run from 11 am – 12:30 pm on the following Sundays: 10/22, 11/19, 12/10, 1/28, 2/11, 3/10, 4/7, 5/19.
Group Leader: Eliana Rubin Eliana Rubin (she/they) is a queer and trans artist and educator. She recently moved back to NYC from her hometown of Los Angeles. She serves as the Inclusive Education Consultant at The Jewish Education Project. Eliana received her Master of Educational Leadership from HUC-JIR. They are the creator of Jewsicals (Jewish musicals), short musical numbers based around our sacred texts. This will be Eliana’s second time leading Tzelem and she couldn’t be more excited! When Eliana is not working in education, she is songwriting, exploring the Big Apple, and eating copious amounts of movie theater popcorn.
Fun Fact: Eliana and Bekkah work together, so feel free to reach out to Bekkah to learn more!
Stay tuned for even more Teen programming!
More information coming soon!
Beth El Synagogue Center 1324 North Avenue New Rochelle, NY 10804
I hope that your families are safe and "okay," whatever that means these days. We are here to support you and your children.
On that note, I want to share our plan for Religious School on Thursday.
We will begin our day with a short school-wide assembly. This assembly will be led by Rabbi Sitkin, Cantor Gaby, Moreh Jack and myself, and will focus on a very high level understanding that Israel is in a time of need, and that we want to show our support. We will also include uplifting songs and prayers, including Hatikvah.
We will then divide into our classes for more indivdualized conversations and to make cards to send to show our support. During this time, our educators and learning specialists will address the situation in age-appropriate ways, focusing on helping our learners feel safe, addressing their feelings, and answering their questions.
We anticipate this taking around 35-40 minutes of our day, and then the rest of our time will be spent on our standard curriculum, including Shinshinim, Tefillah, Hebrew, etc., as maintaining a sense of normalcy is important for our learners.
If you are unsure how to discuss the situation with your children, here are some resources that can guide you:
Please let us know if a parent-focused conversation would be valuable or helpful to you, or if you personally want support. ~~~ Parents of Teens & Tweens: Information has been widely circulated that extremely disturbing videos, including footage of hostages, may be spread across social media. These images will likely be shared through Instagram, TikTok, and other social media outlets.
Please consider temporarily deleting your children's social media accounts (TikTok, Instagram, etc.), exploring the parental controls on their devices, and helping your children exercise extreme discretion around social media as we navigate this challenging situation.
Today, Tuesday, October 10, 5:00 pm Vigil and rally in support of Israel at Dag-Hammarskjold Plaza (Entrance on 2nd avenue and 47th street). Backpacks strictly prohibited. A group of Beth El members are going together into the city on the 3:38 pm MetroNorth train.
Co-organized by UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. Westchester Stands with Israel: Countywide Solidarity Rally Today, Tuesday, October 10, 8:00 pm at Temple Israel Center of White Plains Please visit www.wjcouncil.org to register for this event.
Co-organized by UJA-Federation of New York and Westchester Jewish Council.
Please submit the Hebrew names of your children or grandchildren who are currently serving in the IDF. We would like to recite their names and pray for them on Shabbat. Click hereto submit the names or email Zoe at zraynes@bethelnr.org.
Rabbi Bedo's visit to Beth El is postponed until November due to the tragedy unfolding in Israel.
Beth El is a special community that nurtures each of us in so many ways. Let us demonstrate our unwavering support of Beth El by contributing to the B’Yachad Campaign. We act as one, together, for the good of all.
Join Sisterhood so you can come to the Paid Up Membership Dinner this Thursday, October 12th, at 6:30 pm!
Please remember to pay your annual Sisterhood dues as soon as possible, if you haven’t already done so. If you’re not sure if you have, please contact Olivier Vogel at ovogel@bethelnr.org. Pay Your Sisterhood dues here.
Once you have paid your dues, you can register for the Paid Up Membership dinner here.
Tuesday, October 17, 7:30 pm
Yuval Donio-Gideon, the Consul for Public Diplomacy at the Consulate General of Israel in New York, will provide an overview of the challenges of and developments in Israel’s struggle for security, covering issues ranging from Palestinian terrorist groups to the long-range missiles of Iran and Iraq.
Tuesday, October 31, 7:30 pm Learn about the past, present and future of the Jewish community of Morocco based on Dr. Roy Mittelman’s 45 years of traveling to, studying and teaching about the community. Dr. Roy Mittelman is director of the Michael & Irene Ross Program in Jewish Studies at City College.
The Open Beit Midrash Scholar Series is underwritten by the Yvette and Herman Gordon Century Fund for Adult Teaching and Learning. To ensure we can continue to offer high level adult educational programming please consider contributing to that fund here. To sponsor a future Open Beit Midrash Scholar Series, click here.
In this course, we will study some of the texts that made me fall in love with the Jewish intellectual canon. We will study selections from the Hebrew Bible, Mishnah, Gemarrah (Talmud), Midrash, Halacha (Law), Philosophy, History, Poetry, and Hasidut. We'll also explore diverse topics such as time, love, loss, joy, spirituality, friendship, community, subversive texts, Israel, and the permissibility of Tattoos, among others. This class is taught by Rabbi David Schuck.
Tracing concepts of the body and soul from biblical times to the present. We will use the insights found in the mythical-erotic language of Tony Bennet, Amy Winehouse, Frankie Valli, and the Zohar as refracted through the lens of Professor Melila Hellner-Eshed’s A River Flows From Eden: The Language of Mystical Experience in the Zohar. This class is taught by Rabbi Barry Kenter.
Join our Prayer Team for wonderful, social, musical, and prayer experiences! Everyone is welcome, no experience or special skills needed. Led by Rabbi Schuck this year, we'll meet periodically, have special events, and share special moments during Shabbat and Holidays. If you're already part of the team, stay tuned for updates! If you would like to join our prayer team, please email Jack Klebanow at jklebanow@bethelnr.org. If you have questions, please be in touch with Rabbi Schuck, Cantor Gaby, or Jack.
Wednesday, November 1, 8:30 am Join us for an update on Israeli events with Amir Tibon, Diplomatic Correspondent for Ha'aretz. Amir will discuss the latest developments in Israel, including the judicial reform, normalization efforts and local elections which will have taken place just the day before! Come to the Den to watch Amir on Zoom and enjoy a bagel breakfast together or log in directly by Zoom from your home or office.
Sunday, November 12, 10:00 am Join the New Rochelle community, Beth El Synagogue Center, Temple Israel of New Rochelle, Young Israel of New Rochelle, Young Israel of Scarsdale, and JCC-Mid Westchester for a morning to benefit UJA’s Dignity Project, which supports women and girls in need of menstrual supplies. We’ll pack self-care packages for women facing economic challenges that will be distributed by Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS), a UJA partner.
Thursday, November 16, 7:00 pm Join us to learn how Sigd was observed for centuries by the Beta Israel Jews of Ethiopia and how it is observed today in Israel. Let's celebrate Sigd together with kosher vegan Ethiopian food, Ethiopian music, and dancing. Guest Speaker, Sigal Kanotopsky, Northeast regional director, The Jewish Agency for Israel, will join us.
$10 per person
Register Here. Beth El is partnering with UJA-NY, Westchester Jewish Council, and Temple Israel of New Rochelle for this program.
Saturday, November 18, 7:00 pm Two sessions of live classes led by 28 Westchester rabbis. One class per session available on livesrtream. There will be a kosher dairy dessert reception.
$20 per person by November 3rd
Register Here. This event is organized by the Westchester Board of Rabbis and the Westchester Jewish Council.
Thursday, October 25, 7:30 pm Facilitated by our "Partners in Caring" social worker, Shari Baum, this group is designed to provide a safe space to support one another as we care for our aging parents with dignity and love.
Monday, October 16, 9:30 am Join us for Bagel & Books in the Den! We will be discussing Who By Fire By Matti Friedman. There is a zoom option for those who cannot attend in person.
*Any day not listed has no scheduled programming (besides minyan).
Tuesday, October 10th 1:00 pm – Mah Jongg (In Person) 5:00 pm – New York Stands with Israel Rally & Vigil (In Person) 8:00 pm – Westchester Stands with Israel: Countywide Solidarity Rally (In Person & Livestream). Register here.
Thursday, October 12th 1:30 pm – Parashat HaShavua (In Person & Zoom). Join online here. 6:30 pm – Teen Collab Learning (In Person, Offsite) 6:30 pm – Paid Up Sisterhood Membership Dinner (In Person). Register here.
Friday, October 13th 6:00 pm – Kabbalat Shabbat Services (In Person & Livestream)
Saturday, October 14th 9:00 am – Shabbat Services (In Person & Livestream) 10:00 am – Teen Service (In Person) 10:30 am – Mini Minyan (In Person) 10:30 am – Tot Shabbat (In Person) 12:45 pm – Daf Shevui (In Person) 6:00 pm – Mincha/Maariv (In Person & Livestream) Monday, October 16th 9:30 am – Bagels & Books (In Person & Zoom). Join online here.
11:00 am – SMART Zoom (Zoom). Join online here. 1:00 pm – Canasta (In Person)
Tuesday, October 17th 1:00 pm – Mah Jongg (In Person)
In light of the horrific events in Israel, we wanted to let you know what our safety protocols are at Beth El. While there is no intelligence indicating that there is a specific threat to Jewish communities in the United States, we will have added visible security in the days ahead.
In “regular times” there is always a Beth El Security employee who monitors the front door and provides access for people into the building. In addition, we have outside security during all of the following times:
Nursery School in session
Religious School in session
Shabbat services
High Holiday services
Certain evening events
We are in close contact with the New Rochelle Police Department and they are patrolling all the synagogues in New Rochelle on a regular basis. We will continue to remain vigilant regarding any security issues and we will communicate any changes in our protocols to all of you.
In light of the horrific events in Israel, we wanted to let you know what our safety protocols are at Beth El. While there is no intelligence indicating that there is a specific threat to Jewish communities in the United States, we will have added visible security in the days ahead.
In “regular times” there is always a Beth El Security employee who monitors the front door and provides access for people into the building. In addition, we have outside security during all of the following times:
Nursery School in session
Religious School in session
Shabbat services
High Holiday services
Certain evening events
We are in close contact with the New Rochelle Police Department and they are patrolling all the synagogues in New Rochelle on a regular basis. We will continue to remain vigilant regarding any security issues and we will communicate any changes in our protocols to all of you.
I am excited to share plans with you about the Prayer Team for the coming year.
This year, I am planning to personally lead the Prayer Team sessions! Cantor Gaby and Jack will join me, but I am eager to take on this expanded role. I believe that together, we have the ability to lift up our Shabbat and holiday observances, and I’m happy to take the lead on this.
We count on your continued participation and I hope you’ll encourage some of your friends to join us. We would like to increase the numbers as much as possible. Everyone is welcome to join - no prior experience or skills needed.
My goal for the Prayer Team is to enlarge the cohesiveness and impact of this important group. Our monthly sessions will be more than a rehearsal of new melodies in preparation for certain services. They will be an opportunity to build community, to study, to socialize, to eat and drink together, and of course to sing and pray together. The goal is for our Prayer Team to build a sense of camaraderie and community, and to play a central and vibrant role in our synagogue’s prayer life.
I ask you to continue to make a priority to attend our First Friday Kabbalat Shabbat Services. These are spirited and uplifting and we would like to continue to build on our success from last year. In addition, this year we will expand the role of the Prayer Team on Shabbat mornings and holidays. More to come on that when we meet.
Please mark your calendars with the dates listed below. Note we plan a special Prayer Team Melaveh Malkah on Saturday, November 11, at 7 pm, which will take place at my home. I hope everyone can try to come to that and we will sing and linger with the Shabbat Queen!
I am excited to see you all again. Please be in touch with me directly or with Cantor Gaby or Jack with any questions.
