A “Poet Tree” Celebrating Ten Years Together with Rabbi Schuck As part of Beth El’s upcoming gala celebration, we are creating our first “Poet Tree” exhibit. Poems and nature help us connect with others, and you are warmly invited to submit short published poems that we will use to hang from a beautiful tree in the lobby.
After some time, we plan to collect the poems into a binder as a gift to Rabbi Schuck in appreciation for his sharing poetry with us.
Choose a Poem Before June for the Poet Tree!
Poems can be of any type, so long as published; song lyrics are also acceptable.
Please be mindful of the length of your submission as it must hang from the tree branches (on an approximately 4x6 card).
Feel free to share a short, published poem that reflects your Beth El experience in any way or inspires you.
To submit a poem digitally please do so via the link at the bottom of this invitation.
To submit a poem in person please drop off your submission to Naiza Cintron in Beth El's front office.
Please submit your poem by the end of the month to facilitate production of this gift for Rabbi Schuck
At our school, the safety and well-being of our students is our top priority. We're writing to inform you that we conducted a scheduled lockdown drill this morning as part of our ongoing commitment to school safety and emergency preparedness. Understanding that these drills can sometimes be unsettling for children, our teachers spoke with their classes in advance to explain the purpose of the drill in a calm and age-appropriate manner. Just as we practice fire drills to learn how to safely exit the building, we also practice lockdown drills to learn how to stay safely inside when necessary.
During the drill, a code word was announced over the walkie-talkie system signaling all staff to secure their classrooms. Teachers followed our established safety protocol:
Doors were locked
Shades were drawn
Lights were turned off
Children and staff moved quietly to designated safe areas away from windows and doors. Each classroom accounted for all their children, and no one was permitted to enter or exit the building during the drill. In some classrooms, lollipops were distributed to help children remain calm and quiet. The drill lasted approximately 10 minutes.
After a full safety check of the building by the administration, an "all clear" code was announced and normal school activities resumed. While we hope never to need these procedures in a real emergency, it is important that both staff and children are prepared. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the drill further, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us directly.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership in keeping our school community safe. Warm regards, Ronnie and Shery
We hope you had a joyful and relaxing holiday weekend! Time truly flies when you're having fun—and that’s certainly been the case during this Toddler Time session.
It’s hard to believe, but tomorrow marks the final class of our Winter–Spring session. We want to thank you for being a part of Toddler Time this year. It’s been a joy watching your little ones grow and explore, and we’re grateful to have shared this special time with your family.
We look forward to welcoming many of you back in September as we continue the journey through early childhood together.
Wishing you a happy and adventurous summer ahead! Warmly, Shery and Ronnie
The Open Beit Midrash Scholar Series is funded by The Yvette and Herman Gordon Century Fund for Adult Teaching and Learning. Please consider making a contribution to this fund to enhance our adult education programs here.
To sponsor this or a future scholar series event in memory of a loved one or in honor of someone, click here.
We are excited to share that our tiles have come back from the kiln! Names are currently being applied to each tile and they will hopefully be up by the end of next week. We will let you know once that has happened.
Continuing with things we are excited to share, Morah Eve (Anaf Bet) and her husband, Joel, welcomed Olivia Sage Mack on May 14 at 2:23PM. She weighed 7lbs. 4 oz. and was 20" long. We wish the Mack family a hearty mazal tov on their beautiful new addition and could not be happier for them!
As a reminder, school will be closed on Monday, May 26, in observance of Memorial Day, and again on Monday (June 2) and Tuesday (June 3) in observance of Shavuot.
Mini Camp is back! We will be offering Mini Camp during the two weeks following the end of the school year and the beginning of camp. Dates are as follows: Monday through Friday, June 16 - June 27 (no camp on 6/19), 9:00am - 1:00pm or 9:00am - 2:00pm. Before and after care will not be offered during these two weeks. Please see the flier below for further details. Click here to register.
Beth El is offering rich programming for Shavuot, beginning with a BBQ on erev Shavuot (Sunday, June 1), 5:30 - 7:30pm. Additonal details may be found below. Click here to register.
Beth El's Annual Gala is celebrating a decade together with Rabbi Schuck on Thursday, June 12. It's always wonderful to see families from our Nursery School community out on the dance floor enjoying a night out, while supporting this important synagogue fundraiser. Please consider attending, placing an ad, or participating in the silent auction by clicking here.
After an extremely successful first-time event last year, Get Your Mahj on(gg) is back! Sign up for this fabulous inter-generational event on Wednesday, June 4th at 7:30pm! See details below.Register here.
On Sunday, June 8 from 10:00-11:00am, Beth El's Director of Youth and Family Engagement, Alyssa Berman, will be hosting A Taste of Religious School. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to learn more about our Religious School if you are considering enrolling for the 2025-2026 school year. Morah Emily, the Gan (K) teacher (and yoga teacher extraordinaire) will lead a model class. During this time, Alyssa will be happy to meet with the adults to answer questions and share more information regarding programming. You'll also have the opportunity to connect with current parents and each other. This is a free event that is open to the community! Register here.
Spring Cleaning Alert! Beth El Day Camp is collecting magazines to be used during staff training. Magazine donations can be brought to the labeled box in the synagogue lobby. They thank you in advance!
It is so hard to believe that the end of the school year is drawing near. End of year celebrations for each class will be on the last day of school, Wednesday, June 11th. Please find times for each age group's celebration below:
Shoresh - 10:30-11:45am Gezah Classes - 9:15am-10:45am Anaf Classes - 1:00pm-2:30pm Gesher - 9:15am-10:25am Wishing you all a wonderful holiday weekend and shabbat shalom! Ronnie and Shery
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.
For event accessibility needs, please be in touch so we can address them.
As we approach Shabbat, a day meant for peace and rest, our joy is dimmed by devastating news. Tonight, two souls will not be lighting candles. We mourn the loss of Sarah Milgrim z”l and Yaron Lischinsky z”l, two young staffers of the Israeli Embassy who were shot and killed on Wednesday night outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., during a gathering of young diplomats hosted by the American Jewish Committee. Our hearts are with their families, friends, and colleagues, and with all who are grieving and afraid.
This was an antisemitic act of terror, targeting a Jewish event in the name of so-called political solidarity. While the details might still be unfolding, we know this much: violence like this has no place in our society. Support for any cause can never justify the targeting of Jews—Israeli or otherwise—and rhetoric that blurs that line only fuels fear and division. What happened last night was not just a tragedy for two families, but a painful reminder of the vulnerability so many of us feel right now.
At moments like this, we draw strength from one another. We come together to grieve, to resist despair, and to recommit ourselves to a vision of a more peaceful and just world. As we light candles tonight, may their light shine in memory of Sarah and Yaron, and may it be a symbol of our resilience and our hope.
Friday, May 23rd 40th Day of Omer 7:00am Shacharit 6:30pm Kabbalat Shabbat 7:55pm Candle Lighting
Saturday, May 24th 41st Day of Omer Parashat Behar-Bechukotai 9:00am Shabbat Morning Services 10:30am Mini Minyan 10:30am Tot Shabbat
This week's kiddush is sponsored by
Abbe Fleishaker in honor of Sabrina Fleishaker & Alex Dorfman's aufruf, and by Fred & Leni Wiener in honor of the 60th Anniversary of Fred's bar mitzvah. 12:45pm Daf Shevui 8:00pm Mincha/Maariv 8:56pm Havdalah
Register for the Pre-Shavuot BBQ by next Wednesday
Beth El Sisterhood's We Care Blankets project members make their first blanket delivery to Maria Fareri Children's Hospital in Valhalla. The hospital was delighted to receive them and are looking forward to more.
Please join Beth El Synagogue Sisterhood's social outreach project called We Care Blankets in creating knitted or crocheted blankets for children undergoing Cancer treatment in hospitals. This is an ongoing project and we hope to have many more people within the community join. For more information about the project and to help, please email Cindy Shechter at wecareblankets@gmail.com
Mazal tov to Sabrina Fleishaker and Alexander Dorfman on their Auf ruf and upcoming marriage, and mazal tov to the parents—Abbe Fleishaker, Melissa Brodman, and Adam Dorfman—and extended Fleishaker and Dorfman families.
Mazal tov to Fred Wiener on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of his bar mitzvah.
Mazal tov to Rachel & Andrew Messinger on the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Joshua Messinger, taking place on Memorial day.
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.
MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH Visit the Blue Dove Foundation website for resources each week connecting Jewish lessons related to mental health.
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 sorry to share that Morah Rhea tested positive for strep throat this morning. She was in school yesterday, masked, and left early when she wasn't feeling well. With Morah Amelia also out today, we are grateful to have Morah Jo and Morah Amy covering our Gesher class. They are having a wonderful day!
As a reminder, 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. We are grateful for the long weekend ahead and some extra time for our teachers to feel better before returning to school on Tuesday. Wishing them both a refuah shlema.
We are sorry to share that one of our Anaf Bet friends who was also in After Care yesterday, May 22, tested positive for COVID this morning. Common COVID symptoms include:
Fever or chills Muscle or body aches Cough Sore throat Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Nausea or vomiting Fatigue Diarrhea Headache Congestion or runny nose New loss of taste or smell
If your child experiences any of the above symptoms, we would recommend testing for COVID.
Please let us know if any other cases develop and we wish a refuah shlema to our Anaf Bet friend.
We hope you're having a great week. We had a wonderful time at our Teen Shabbat Dinner, and we're glad that 24 of you could join us!
We have one more BIG event for this year...our Teen Pre-Shavuot Field Day & BBQ on Sunday, June 1 from 4:30-6:30 pm! Register here.
At this fun event, we'll have a chesed project plus fun "field day" challenges, and we'll end with some BBQ as part of the pre-Shavuot BBQ. Nadav, one of our Shinshinim, will join us, and this will be your chance to say goodbye to Vered and to think about next year!
In addition to our regular chesed (community service) on Shabbat mornings for 9th-12th graders. Please see details below.
Lastly, we want to wish all of our Seniors a Mazel Tov on finishing up the school year! Please let us know your next steps! And don't be strangers :). Please do take 30 seconds to fill out the form and let us know what your plans are!
Upcoming events:
Every Saturday, 11 am-12 pm: Volunteer for Shabbat Childcare (9th-12th). See information below. Earn community service hours.
Sunday, June 1, 4:30-6:30 pm: Teen Pre-Shavuot Field Day Games & BBQ. Register here.
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
Shabbat Childcare: Saturdays from 11 am-12 pm
We have launched a new supervised play space on the playground/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, 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.
Place your journal ad to let Rabbi Schuck know what his presence at Beth El has meant to you.
The vital funds raised help Beth El Synagogue Center to thrive providing programming, worship and care for all generations of members—from ages 0 to 100+.
Purchase Your Tickets We'll celebrate a decade of Rabbi Schuck's rabbinic leadership at Beth El. Our gratitude comes to life in festive dining, a celebratory, heartfelt program, and dancing—sure to be a cherished event for all, as well as an expression of our commitment to a flourishing future together.
Bid in the Silent Auction
Bidding is now open for exciting items and experiences in our silent auction! Find your yen while supporting Beth El.
