by Lynn Urbach, President Our Bet Ha’am Annual Meeting was just a couple of weeks ago. We probably broke any previous attendance record—we had sixty-three log-ins to our first virtual annual meeting, and eighty-nine people voted! If you attended the meeting and read the committee reports, then most of this

by Lynn Urbach, President Please join us for our Annual Meeting of the Congregation on June 16 at 6:30 PM. This an opportunity for members to hear from lay leadership, to learn about what is going on in our congregation. Don’t worry: there will be no reading of committee reports or requests for

by Rabbi Jared H. Saks Some of you were there. Worship on Saturday, May 16, was an emotional service for me. It was an emotional week leading up to it. In the days before Shabbat, the Unitarian Universalist Association released a recommendation that there should be no in-person worship until

by Toby Rosenberg, congregant This spring Bet Ha’am’s annual gala fundraiser, A Storied Affair, will transform into an exciting virtual event we are calling A Different Story. Still happening on May 30, we’ve moved the start time into prime time, 8:00 PM. And although we can’t serve a sumptuous, five-course meal, we promise

by Bill Welch, board member I discovered ironically that last week’s Torah portion, Tazria/Metzora, contains among other things a detailed description about how the community deals with what was perceived to be a highly contagious disease (sound familiar?). It discusses in graphic detail certain disfigurative conditions known as “Tzara’at” on

by Rabbi Jared H. Saks As I write this, it’s the end of April and I was supposed to have completed this piece weeks ago, but I’ve found myself unable to find the words or even the message I want to convey to you. I am, I imagine like you,

by Rachel Lefkowitz, Synagogue Administrator Two months ago, my biggest concern was about bringing food for onegs on plates rather than in containers. Well, the world certainly has changed since then.  I am grateful to everyone at Bet Ha’am who has stepped up, despite the anxiety and stress we all

by Lynn Urbach, President Dear Friends,I want to give you an update on our response at Bet Ha’am to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rabbi Saks, Sam Spinrad, Rachel Lefkowitz, and I are in frequent contact with each other and are regularly discussing the most recent recommendations from the national and state

with Rabbi Jared H. Saks In February, Rabbi Saks led a thoughtful discussion of Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy. At the time, we anticipated a scholar-in-residence weekend with Marc Dollinger, author of Black Power, Jewish Politics: Reinventing the Alliance in the 1960s. That visit has been postponed, but even in the midst of

by Lynn Urbach, President Dear friends, Things have been changing so fast as we all respond to COVID-19. We hope that most of you are slowly getting used to this new normal and are doing what you can to stay safe. Rabbi Saks, the board of trustees, and our amazing

by Rabbi Jared H. Saks In the opening verses of the Torah portion T’rumah, God instructs Moses to speak to the Israelites so that they will collect for God, from each person whose heart is moved, gifts that will help to construct the Mishkan, the portable wilderness sanctuary. Rabbi Samson

We learn in a famous Talmudic phrase Kol Yisrael areivin ze ba-zeh –this means “We are all responsible for one another” (Sanhedrin 27b). This applies not only to helping each other, but also to our obligation to protect the public health. With COVID-19, most people who get the virus are going to

by Lynn Urbach, President  Which of the following is the most commonly observed practice for Jews in the United States? Going to synagogue on High Holy Days Observing Shabbat at least once a month by going to services or lighting candles Fasting on Yom Kippur Attending a Passover Seder According

by Sam Spinrad Sunday mornings, after tefillah, our first, second, and third graders and their parents spend twenty minutes studying with Rabbi and me. Our theme this year is “Jews Around the World.”  We are enjoying learning history, studying photographs, and connecting with individuals from around the world to learn about

by Rabbi Jared H. Saks I think Purim was among my favorite Jewish holidays when I was a child. I looked forward to the Purim Carnival, where I’d try to win a goldfish, much to my parents’ dismay. My temple had hamantaschen, potato knishes, and hot dogs for us to

by Rachel Stamieszkin We are happy to announce that we have added new prayer-music selections to our Bet Ha’am website. Helping our congregants, be they young or not-so-young, to prepare to lead or participate in worship services has been a challenge over the years, but advances in technology have enabled

by Rabbi Jared H. Saks February 11, 2020 – 16 Shevat 5780 “When Irving Berlin (Izzy Baline) was a child on the Lower East Side [of New York], he heard his mother, who came to America with small children, and with no English and no skills, say over and over

by Rachel Lefkowitz I did not grow up practicing Judaism, so when I first went to Friday night services, I thought, “This is a great way to end the week! And they give you cookies after? How amazing!”  Then I learned that “they” do not “give” you cookies. You provide the cookies and share them. This presented

by Elaine Falender In connection with Bet Ha’am’s 25th anniversary in April 2010, congregant Elaine Falender did some “research” for a Shabbat dinner presentation. A copy of that presentation is presented here so that current congregants can learn more about our beginnings. What was it like, back at “the beginning”?

by Rabbi Jared H. Saks Shabbat Va-eira | January 24, 2020 – 28 Tevet 5780 Among my earliest memories of childhood is my parents taking me into the voting booths on Election Day. They’d point to the candidates for whom they were voting, I’d flip the levers, and they’d pull

by Rachel Weinstein Here’s my deal. I’m a therapist. A wife. I have two kids. I am trying to exercise, take care of our chickens and dogs, clean the house, shop for groceries, and shuffle my daughter to multiple swim and martial arts practices (sometimes several in a day). Like whoever is reading this—life is busy.  I love Bet Ha’am. Though when I come