Celebrate Pesach with Congregation Beth El! See below for more information.
Another Gathering
of the Tribe
Beth El Retreat
at WalkerCreek Ranch Friday, May 1 - Sunday, May 3, 2009 at Walker Creek Ranch in Petaluma Register by March 27 This is an opportunity for all members of our community to gather for a weekend of Shabbat celebration, learning, community and relaxation.
The weekend schedule offers separate activities for adults and kids as well as activities for families. People of all ages will enjoy organized activities, find their own adventures or kick back and relax, getting to spend time with other Beth El folks.
Walker Creek Ranch is a beautiful camp setting, one hour and 15 minutes north of Berkeley in West Marin. Located on 1700 acres of rolling hills, the land is blessed with 20 miles of hiking trails, bay laurel forests, open grassland and clear water flowing in WalkerCreek all year long.
For more information, including lodging and pricing options and to register online, please click here.
Introduction to The Classic Texts of Judaism Sunday mornings, 10:30 am - 12:15 pm
March 22, 29; April 12, 19, 26
Join Rabbi Yoel Kahn for a short survey of the classic texts of Judaism – Torah, Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash and others. We will explore where and when they were composed, how to find a reference in them, and how to appreciate what they can teach us. The last class will include attending a special presentation with guest scholar Avivah Zornberg.
Everyone is invited...
Gardening Chug Sunday, March 22 • 10:00 am Please join us in the Beth El landscape
to weed and tend...
We will plan to meet once a month, on the 3rd Sunday of each month starting March 22. Please join us from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm or so. (Rain Cancels!) Bring gloves and tools. We will mostly be weeding, also some pruning and trimming back.
RSVP preferred, but not required byemailing Susan Frankel. Please invite your friends and forward this on to others that might be interested.
Camp Kee Tov - Registration Information for Summer 2009 Five hundred happy campers have registered for Camp Kee Tov already!! Is your family among them? Some programs are almost full and will be on wait list status soon.
Register today --and invite your friends to join you. Families who are interested in Camp Kee Tov are invited to our annual Parent Information Night: Sunday,March 29 • 5:00-7:00 pm * Information about Camp Kee Tov programs
* Director on hand to answer your specific questions
* Getting to know you games for the kids
* Help completing financial assistance forms
Our intrepid travelers are back from a memorable and transformative, eye-opening journey.Everyone on the trip came back with new insights and new questions.We invite you to share the journey by visiting our updated trip blog by clicking here for pictures, information and reflections.Thanks to Bob Epstein, our blog-master and to all the trip photographers and writers.The trip participants are working on a “report back” to the Congregation - details in next week’s e-update.
Shabbat This Week:
March 20 & 21, 2009
24 Adar 5769
Parashat Vayakhel/Pekude
Friday, March 20 -Tot Shabbat Service 5:30pm
-Tot Shabbat Dinner 6:00pm
Please RSVP by March 18 by emailing Barbara Kanter or calling 510-848-9428 x219
-Family Shabbat Service 6:15pm
co-led by 6th grade class -Ice Cream Oneg 7:00pm
with a parallel parent program
on "The Spirit of Shabbat"
with Rabbi Yoel Kahn
Saturday, March 21 -Minyan Service 8:30am
-Torah Study 9:15am
led by Rabbi Yoel Kahn -Shabbat Morning Service 10:15am
led by Rabbi Yoel Kahn and Cantorial Soloist Bon Singer
Bar Mitzvah - Jack Friedson
Shabbat Next Week:
Friday, March 27 -Shabbat Evening Service 6:15pm
led by Rabbi Yoel Kahn
Saturday, March 28 -Minyan Service 8:30am
-Torah Study 9:15am
led by Tamara Abrams -Shabbat Morning Service 10:15am
led by Rabbi Yoel Kahn and Cantorial Soloist Bon Singer
B'nai Mitzvah - Lorenzo & Jacob Springer-Giamartino
Help Usher in Shabbat
with your Smile! Come join your rabbi on the bima or volunteer to help greet at a Friday night or Saturday morning service. Help us create a warm atmosphere by clicking on this link, entering SHABBAT as your password and volunteering! Any questions? Please email Robinn Magid.
Hope to see you in shul!
Upcoming Committee Meetings • Ritual Committee,
Wednesday, March 18, 7:30pm
• Religious School Committee,
Tuesday, March 24, 8:00pm
• Nursery School Committee,
Tuesday, March 31, 7:00pm
Free Haggadot for Pesach Beth El congregant Susan Sugarman has a set of about 15 nearly new Pesach Haggadot that she would like to pass on to another family. It is the enhanced edition of the Silverman Haggadah published by The Prayer Book Press. If interested, please click here to email Susan.
Midrasha Hosts Our Seventh Graders Sunday, March 22 • 9:30 am All 7th graders and their parents are invited to Midrasha on Sunday, March 22 at 9:30 am. Students will have a one hour class with 7th graders from other synagogues and day schools and then be able to visit two Midrasha classes of their choice along with current Midrasha students. The student program lasts from 9:30-12:30. Parents will have a one-hour meeting from 9:30-10:30 where they will get to talk with current Midrasha parents and students and find out why one of our graduates said recently, “Midrasha has challenged me to become a better person, and a better Jew.” Midrasha meets at Congregation Beth El • 1301 Oxford Street in Berkeley.
Everyone is invited!
Social Action Workshop Wednesday, March 25 • 7:30 pm in the Beit Midrash To reduce your carbon footprint...
Come to our workshop!
It's educational and fun...for the whole family!
Materials provided by the Berkeley Ecology Center
Celebrate Pesach with Congregation Beth El Pesach Synaplex™ - "Get into the
Spirit of Pesach" Friday, April 3 • 6:15 pm
Join us for our Pesach Synaplex Event as we welcome the
Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir for a Freedom Concert.
• Kabbalat Shabbat Services at 6:15 pm
• Potluck Dinner with Charoset Tasting at 7:15 pm
• Gospel Concert at 8:15 pm
• Shabbat Oneg at 9:00 pm
Second Night Community Seder: A Beth El Tradition Thursday evening, April 9 • 5:45 pm Join Rabbi Yoel Kahn, Cantoral Soloist Bon Singer and Beth El friends old and new for a festive celebration and delicious catered kosher Pesach meal. We are never too old not too young to learn and retell the story of our own and other people's liberation from oppression. With song, ritual and discussion, we will reenact this ancient tale, making connections to our own lives and our world.
Members: Adults $36 Children $18
Guests: Adults $45 Children $22
Childcare provided for children 5 and under.
To register, please click here.
The East Bay Jewish Community is thrilled
to welcome one of the world’s preeminent Torah scholars Dr. Avivah Zornberg Saturday evening, April 25 • Congregation Beth Israel, Berkeley
Sunday morning, April 26 • Congregation Beth El, Berkeley
• Brunch at 10:15 am
• Presentation at 11:15 am
Dr. Zornberg will speak on Shabbat, Saturday April 25th, at Congregation Beth Israel at 5:30 pm.The topic for her lecture will be Letter from an Unknown Woman: Joseph’s Dream.Sunday, April 26th at 10:15 am, Dr. Zornberg will join Congregation Beth El for brunch followed by a presentation titled, From Another Shore: Moses and Korach.
A native of Glasgow, Scotland, Dr. Avivah Zornberg holds a PhD from CambridgeUniversity.She began her teaching career in 1969 at the HebrewUniversity, Jerusalem, specializing in English Literature.Since 1980, she has taught Torah and lectured in distinguished academic centers throughout the world. She published Genesis: the Beginning of Desire in 1995, and followed in 2001 with The Particulars of Rapture: Reflections on Exodus.Her new book, The Murmuring: Deep Reflections on the Biblical Unconscious will be published by Schocken in March 2009.
Sukkot in April - Let's fix up the Eco-House! Sunday, April 26 • 9:00am-4:00pm • Hopkins & Peralta Streets in Berkeley
Please lend a helping hand for Sukkot in April. This year we are associating with the BerkeleyEcologyActionCenter to upgrade its model Eco-house at Hopkins & Peralta Sts. in Berkeley. Lunch will be provided between morning and afternoon work times.The majority of the “work” will be to paint the inside of the house. We will also be doing planting and weeding in its yards.As usual, we will provide sustenance and entertainment for all participants.Because we feel that this is an ideal event for families, we hope to organize activities in which children can participate. Click here to register now!
Beth El Men's Club Day at the A's - A's vs. Giants Monday, June 22, 2009 • 7:00 pm All tickets $10. For more information or tickets, please email Bob Goldstein or call 510-548-0720.
The community is invited...
After Proposition 8:
What's Next for Marriage Equality?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 • 7:00 pm at Congregation Netivot Shalom For more information, please click here.
The community is invited... Jewish Family and Children's Services Job Search Support Group
JFCS/East Bay is pleased to announce a new, free five-part workshop that will offer techniques, resources, and the support necessary for a successful job search. For more information, please click here.
Everyone is invited...
Celebrate Pesach with Congregation Beth El