by Rabbi Jared H. Saks Rosh Hashanah 5781 One of my favorite characters in Jewish literature is Oscar Freedman, or Ozzie, in Philip Roth’s The Conversion of the Jews. Ozzie is a thirteen-year-old Jewish boy who wants to understand his religion. He wrestles with and questions his Judaism – and

by Toby Rosenberg, congregant This is the perfect year to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot at home in your own sukkah (literally, a booth). Have you lately wished that your house would sprout another room? Build a sukkah. Have you lately wished that you felt comfortable going out to dinner just for

by Rabbi Jared H. Saks Erev Rosh Hashanah 5781 There’s a famous story from the Talmud[1] – perhaps you’ve heard it – in which Rabbi Akiva, one of the most renowned rabbis of the Talmudic period, is forced to spend a night in a field and everything seems to go

by Lynn Urbach, President It’s obvious, I know. Our homes and apartments are different now than they were six months ago or last year at this time. They have morphed from the place we sleep, eat, and spend time with family and friends to the center of our lives: our

by Toby Rosenberg, Congregant Perhaps you are among the growing circle of worshippers who have gathered around the Bet Ha’am reflecting pool after Rosh Hashanah morning services to share a short liturgy then toss stones representing your flaws into the pool. Or maybe you have, over the years, found a

by Lynn Urbach, President September 15 marks six months since congregants were last in our building. Our religious school was closed on March 15 due to COVID-19. That same day, the board held its annual retreat; that was the last time I, or any non-staff person, was in our building.

by Jane Sloven, congregant Words of prayer are repositories of the spirit. It is only after we kindle a light in the words that we are able to behold the riches they contain. It is only after we arrive within a word that we become aware of the riches our

by Rabbi Jared H. Saks Each year, we make our way through the fifty-four portions into which our Torah is divided. At Simchat Torah, the last of our fall holidays, we conclude Deuteronomy and begin Genesis once again. Then, on the first Shabbat after Simchat Torah, we turn to Parashat

by Lynn Urbach, President It is an unfortunate fact that nonprofit organizations need money to exist. If we care about an institution because of its value to us (a club, for instance), or because we care about a cause (e.g. animal protection or cancer research), or we want to ensure

by L. Mark Stone, Treasurer On the Revenue Side of Life… By now our members will have received their financial commitment letter, asking them to renew Bet Ha’am membership. Our president’s recent article explains the history of most congregations’ migration from dues, to “fair share,” to the mixed model we

by Sam Spindrad, Religious School Director This summer, I had the opportunity to participate as a LEEP (Leadership for Emerging Education Professionals) Fellow in the first ever virtual NEWCAJE, the “new” Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education. I received hours and hours of professional development in a year when education

By Rabbi Jared H. Saks Each year at this season, we reflect on our lives over the past year. We consider our successes, achievements, and blessings since our last High Holy Day season and contemplate how we can overcome our shortcomings and failures in the year that lies ahead. In

by Jane Sloven, congregant The Kabbalists teach that everything we do stirs up a corresponding energy in other realms of reality. When we remain cognizant of this mystical system, we are careful about what we do, say, or even think, for we know that everything is interdependent; we know that

by Rachel Lefkowitz, Synagogue Administrator A rabbi I know recently wrote a piece on leadership. He noticed that some of the Medieval rabbis argue for a person who can lead with a strong sense of duty while others argue for someone who leads with joy. The rabbi then suggested that

by Catherine Share, congregant Last year at this time, I was thinking about the approaching High Holy Days. I was on my path to conversion and I was considering a daily practice that would make the time more meaningful. The previous winter, I had read This is Real and You

by Catherine Share, congregant When you filled out the High Holy Day survey that was sent from the Rabbi and the Gabbai committee, you probably noticed that the last few questions on the survey had nothing to do with services. We were interested in knowing whether you are registered to

by L. Mark Stone Bet Ha’am is an incredibly vibrant community and, like many other non-profits these days, we are facing serious challenges to our long-term financial health. First, however, I want to say a heartfelt “thank you!” to our immediate past treasurer, Tom Rosen, for the incredible amount of

I’ve been coming to Bet Ha’am since I was in second grade, and I’ve had some quite fun and memorable experiences since. I arrived in my second grade class, and I can vividly remember walking in and knowing nobody but getting into a good few conversations on my first day.

By Rabbi Jared H. Saks Friends, as I’m writing this it is the eighth day of protests across our country following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer while his colleagues stood idly by. By my count, today is also the seventy-seventh day since we closed our

by Rachel Lefkowitz, Synagogue Administrator Back in March, I called a friend who is not able to leave the house. “There are so many places I can go!” she said. “Sometimes I go to the bedroom, other times to the living room or kitchen.” By now this is a tired

By Sam Spinrad, Religious School Director COVID-19 forced our religious school to move online.  It delayed Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies, cancelled our Montreal trip, and took the ice cream from our end-of-year celebration.  We tried to conduct tefillah, classes, and assemblies as close to normally as possible.  As the