Our Blog

In his Rosh Hashanah sermon, Rabbi Saks spoke about the work he would like to do with our congregation to dismantle systemic racism in our

By Jane Snerson. D’var Torah, November 1, 2019. The Torah portion this week is Noah. Noah who was told by God that the people were

by Sam Spinrad, Education Director On Erev Simchat Torah, which fell on October 20 this year, we celebrated the beginning of our first-grade students’ Jewish education (consecration).

by Rabbi Jared H. Saks Last March, I traveled with nine teens from Congregation Bet Ha’am, along with a parent chaperone, to Washington, DC to participate in

by Lynn Urbach, President I go to Shabbat services at least a couple of times a month. The more often I go, the more I get

by Rachel Lefkowitz In late spring, my husband and I attended a bar mitzvah service in Connecticut at an impressive synagogue: the sanctuary towered over the satellite chapel and the nearby

by Rabbi Jared H. Saks Yom Kippur 5780 | October 9, 2019 – 10 Tishrei 5780 “A singular disaster; a disaster is coming. Doom is

by Rabbi Jared H. Saks Kol Nidre 5780 | October 8, 2019 – 10 Tishrei 5780 Conventional wisdom tells us that mistakes are valuable teachers.

Lynn Urbach, President. Yom Kippur 5780. Address to the Congregation. On Rosh Hashanah, I asked you to consider strengthening your connection to Judaism by increasing

Lynn Urbach, President. Rosh Hashanah 5780. Address to the Congregation. I like to daydream. I dream that Congregation Bet Ha’am fully lives up to our

by Rabbi Jared H. Saks Rosh Hashanah 5780 | September 30, 2019 – 1 Tishrei 5780 The Gadsden Daily Times-News, in its afternoon edition, on

by Rabbi Jared H. Saks Erev Rosh Hashanah 5780 Sermon | September 29, 2019 – 1 Tishrei 5780 Somewhere in our house, Kirk and I

by Rabbi Jared H. Saks After Moses encounters the burning bush while tending his father-in-law’s sheep in the wilderness, God selects him to confront Pharaoh

We are pleased to welcome Andrea Levinsky as Bet Ha’am’s new youth group advisor.  Andrea has a long history of involvement with and impact on Maine’s young adult community

By Lynn Urbach As we approach Rosh Hashanah, the head of the Jewish Year, it’s a good time to reassess our lives. Yes, the Days

By Toby Rosenberg   I remember when our architects, Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe, suggested a reflecting pool as part of our building design. There were

by Lynn Urbach, President I’m honored to have been elected president of Bet Ha’am. And believe it or not, I’m looking forward to working for

Our confirmands’ speeches. Confirmation Speech, by Aaron Tabenken  When I first started Hebrew school, I used to dread getting up at 8:00 AM on Sunday mornings. I felt

Rabbi Jared H. Saks I don’t keep kosher. Many of you already know this. Many, I imagine, do not. I’d like to tell you a

by Wendy Hayes, Tikkun Olam Council Chair On July 2, I attended a Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG) meeting, attended primarily by communities of

What a weekend it was! We were proud to celebrate with our partners from the Jewish Community of Southern Maine and support the LGBTQIA+ community