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Shabbat Service Experiment: Tomorrow! We are always exploring ways to deepen our Shabbat morning experience.We will experiment with the flow of the service and its convergence with Kavannah, the mindfulness and meditation experience tomorrow. We will bring back the service we led during COVID, which means we will daven the halachic minimum (only the prayers required by Jewish law). Our aim is to conclude the service by 11:00am. At that time, we will offer a text study/ discussion in the sanctuary, and Kavannah in the Den. We will all gather for Kiddush as a community at 12:00pm. As always, your feedback is appreciated, as we seek ways to best engage the community around our diverse needs on Shabbat morning.
Shabbat Supervision Launches This Weekend! Part of our vision for our community is to make Beth El a place that feels like a second home for our kids. We love seeing children in shul, their presence infuses the synagogue with energy and a sense of vitality. We cherish our families and believe that there are few sounds more sacred than the voices of children echoing through our hallways. We’ve spent years trying to create a warm and welcoming environment for all of our families. We are so grateful for your presence. At the same time, we want to balance feeling at home with other, equally important values for our community, like instilling a sense of kavod (honor) for moments of reflection and prayer. In an attempt to try to create a better balance for everyone, we are excited to share a few updates to our Saturday morning youth activities. We hope these additions will create a more structured and engaging experience for our children, and enable parents to join us in the main sanctuary so you can also find moments of self-reflection and prayer.
Youth Activities Schedule Both Tots Service (Ages 0-5) and Mini-Minyan (Kindergarten - 5th Grade) will be held in their usual locations from 10:30 to 11:00am.
NEW* Supervised Free Play Time (All Ages) When youth services conclude, we are providing a supervised space for kids to play. We will have toys set up in the Kasakove and teen volunteers will supervise the play space from 11:00am to 12:00pm to ensure that the kids are safe and having fun. Our Teen volunteers will meet the children after youth services and bring them to the Kasakove for you. Our Teen volunteers will also bring the children to the Sanctuary for the end of services, where they will meet you.
Outdoor Play On pleasant weather days, children can play outside on the playground under the supervision of our teen volunteers.
Special Shabbatot with B'nei Mitzvah During these occasions, all children will remain with the volunteers until parents notify the teens to bring the kids to the sanctuary during the Haftarah reading. This allows our kids to continue playing without worrying that they will miss out on collecting candy. We want to make sure that the older kids can join in on the fun and celebrate with the b’nei mitzvah, while also not interrupting the b'nei mitzvah kids who worked hard to prepare for their service. After the kids collect their candy, they will return to the Kasakove until the end of services when a parent will bring them back into the sanctuary for the end of services and kiddush. We hope that having a supervised space for our children to play will not only enhance their fun but will also enable parents to participate more fully in the main sanctuary service without worrying about what’s happening with their children. And, even with these additions, we want to remind you that children are always welcome to join you in the sanctuary, where books and toys will be available at the back of the room. Thank you for your support as we continue to experiment with different ways to create a meaningful Shabbat experience for everyone.
Teen Volunteers We also 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, Levenson Chapel, or Youth Lounge).
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.
To volunteer, please email Alyssa at aberman@bethelnr.org with your availability.
Friday, February 14th 5:10pm Kabbalat Shabbat 5:10pm Candle Lighting
Saturday, February 15th Parsha Yitro 9:00am Shabbat Morning Services 10:30am Mini Minyan 10:30am Tot Shabbat (Youth Lounge) 11:00am Kavannah Contemplative Service 12:45pm Daf Shevui 5:10pm Mincha/Maariv 6:12pm Havdalah
Mazal tov to our Director of Programming, Stephanie Lederman & Harvey Lederman on the birth of their second beautiful granddaughter, Ava Dalia, and mazal tov also to parents, Ron Berger & Amanda Lederman Berger.
Mazal tov to Jacqueline Stern-Einzig & Avi I. Einzig on the marriage of their son Zachary to Tanya, daughter of Yelena Mestechkina and Mark Mestechkin of Brooklyn, NY.
Condolences to Linda Resnick on the loss of her husband, longtime member Joseph Resnick z"l, to Michael Resnick and Brian (Jennifer) Resnick on the loss of their father, and to Adam, Daniel and Jacob 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.
JEWISH ART EXHIBIT Visit "Spirituality Through Art: Painted Tapestries by Fred Spinowitz" at the Scarsdale JCCMW through the end of February. More detailshere.
SIP YOUR WINE, SEND HEROES TO DINE, STRENGTHEN ISRAEL Want to say thank you to an exhausted reserve soldier and equally exhaussted "single-parent" spouse? Send them on a date! Perfect for a Purim or Passover gift! See the flyer here for details.
SUPPORT FOR CALIFORNIA FIRE VICTIMS We have been following the devastating fires in the Los Angeles area with deep concern, and our hearts go out to all those affected by this disaster. We know that many of you have loved ones who are impacted, and we stand with you in support and solidarity.
VOLUNTEER IN ISRAEL MISSION Jewish National Fund-USA invites you on a Westchester/ Southern Connecticut Mission March 16th-20th. Rebuild Israel's Southern and now Northern communities affected by terrorist attacks. Learn more on the flyer here. Register here.
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.
