BETH EL COMMUNITY

From Beth El Sisterhood

Every day, we give thanks for our blessings. We give thanks for the morning that brings us renewed life and for Shabbat which teaches us to pray, rest, spend time with family and be grateful for all that life brings us on a daily basis.

But what happens when we can’t see the blessings - when all we see are the obstacles and the challenges? For the past two years, the theme for Women’s League for Conservative Judaism has been “B’Yachad,” which in Hebrew means “together.” We are still dealing with the challenge of the Covid pandemic. We have endured sickness. We have been lonely. We have been cautious. So where are the blessings in this? How can we be “together” when we are told to stay far away from one another?

As Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, of blessed memory, once said, “So often in life, things that you regard as impediments turn out to be great, good fortune.” In the face of the pandemic, our Sisterhood created our own “great fortune” by organizing events and meetings on Zoom - taking us to the Jewish communities of Paris and India; “Cooking with the Clergy;” engaging in fascinating conversations with Dr. Kenneth Pollard; and our continuing book group discussions. We donated funds not only to the synagogue, but also to the HOPE Soup Kitchen, Feeding Westchester, Bronx Jewish Community Council, and our own Religious and Nursery Schools.

To each of you, thank you for your support of Sisterhood and for being B’Yachad, together, with us in this journey called life.

Please join us for our last few programs scheduled for this calendar year. April 11 - Join us in person as we create beautiful Matzah covers with our own artist, Cynthia Schechter. Sign up is needed for this event as we can only take a maximum of 25 women. May 23 - We will finally have our in person gala event honoring our past president Rise Stern outside in the tent on May 23rd. May 26 - Will be our installation of officers along with a surprise program to accompany the investiture. Please watch our Tuesday and Friday digital updates for instructions as to how to sign up. We want you to join us as we end our years of isolation and come back and have the joyous opportunity to be together at last. Sandy Gruenberg and the Sisterhood Board

Youth & Family Engagement Department Update

We have had a wonderful year so far in our Youth & Family Engagement Department.

One of our highlights of the year was coming together during Hanukkah for a wonderful Day of Chesed. We had families all over the building celebrating Hanukkah together while engaging in a wide range of volunteer opportunities.

It was also incredible to celebrate Purim together at Beth El with a fabulous carnival, spirited megillah reading, and a successful Purim Campaign to support our Youth & Family Engagement Department!

With Passover soon approaching, we can’t wait to see everyone for our Passover Palooza on Sunday, April 10 at 10am. There will be stations all over Beth El with opportunities to learn, create, volunteer, and have some prePassover fun as a family. And save the date for: Lag Ba’omer celebration on May 19

Youth and Family Engagement +

Graduation Shabbat on June 11

Kallah Weekend June 17-19

We look forward to seeing you all at all of our upcoming Youth and Family events this spring!

Stephanie Lederman

Israel 360

We hope you saw the recent email announcement about Israel 360 – a group of Beth El members with varied perspectives on and connections to Israel. Israel 360 is dedicated to raising awareness and fostering respectful and nuanced dialogue about Israel that encourages openness to the diversity of perspectives among the Beth El community and the Jewish community at large.

As noted in the introductory email, the work of Israel 360 and the environment we hope to encourage will be predicated on the following principles: 1. “Ahavat Yisrael”, love of Israel, is foundational to our work. 2. Zionism and the right and need of the Jewish people to a secure Jewish state in the land of Israel 3. Honest, open and civil communication across diverse, even conflicting, perspectives 4. Humility and respectful listening and self-expression

On a practical level, Israel 360 is also dedicated to coordinating Israel-related programming at Beth El. We are blessed with a busy shul calendar and many different groups that host important Israel programs. The Israel Affairs Committee (IAC) will continue its important and valuable work focusing on more cultural and social Israel related events, while Israel 360 will focus on all other Israel programming and support other groups and initiatives at Beth El, including Sisterhood, the Encounter Group, the Israel Film Festival and others, in addition to the IAC.

We’re currently working on upcoming programs and if you want to plan a program related to Israel, please contact either one of us, Susan Solow-Dubin, solowdubin@gmail.com, or Mark Seidenfeld, seidenfeldmark@gmail.com, so that Israel 360 can support your efforts and ensure a thoughtful and varied calendar of Israel related events at Beth El. With your help, we hope Israel 360 will foster and encourage thoughtful, open and varied programs and dialogue, based upon Beth El’s passionate commitment to Israel.

Susan Solow-Dubin and Mark Seidenfeld Israel 360 Co-Chairs

Anti-Defamation League Partnership

Dear Beth El Family,

An unfortunate part of being Jewish is living with the knowledge that there are people in the world who wish harm upon us. As we know too well, antisemitism today is as prevalent as it has ever been. Thankfully, there are wonderful organizations dedicated to fighting antisemitism, tracking extremist activity, and working tirelessly to keep the Jewish community safe here in America. And the most well-known out of all of them is the Anti-Defamation League, which has worked to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all for over 100 years.

This year, thanks to a gift by Michael and Linda Goldstein, we were able to join the ADL’s Signature Synagogue Program, which ignites congregation-wide commitment to raising awareness of and speaking out against antisemitism and hate. This program creates a unifying initiative for community education and engagement, connecting dozens of New York/ New Jersey synagogues under a common goal of fighting antisemitism. Signature Synagogues have direct access to ADL’s programs, resources, and learning opportunities. Our synagogue continues to partner with the ADL to address local issues and develop community strategies to prevent future incidents.

Some of the programs we hosted at Beth El this year through our partnership with ADL’s Signature Synagogue Program included: sending a liaison to the ADL’s Never Is Now conference, hosting a conversation with the ADL’s Regional Director, Scott Richman, about the nature of antisemitism today, and offering the ADL’s Words to Action workshop to all of the teens in our community. We value our partnership with the ADL and we hope to continue building upon this relationship in order to raise our awareness and speak out against antisemitism both locally and abroad. We hope that you will continue on this educational journey with us. Sincerely, The Beth El Clergy Team

Sports Talk - On Zoom

Do you have treasured sports memories? Do you remember eating peanuts at Yankee Stadium? Was there an afternoon you saved the day on the ball field with a great catch? A game-winning bet? Do you remember sitting in the stadium when your favorite player belted one out of the park?

These recollections are both compelling and powerful. Let's reminisce and share experiences of our sports memories, or even recent sports games. The ball is in your court.

Contact Ari Mayblum ari.mayblum@gmail.com or Julie Rockowitz jrockowitz@bethelnr.org to set up a chance to talk about sports.

Senior Mature Adults Retired Together (SMART)

Senior Mature Adults Retired Together (SMART) is an affinity group for active congregants and community members, dedicated to creating strong bonds, building community, and creating lives of meaning and purpose.

We are a social group of vibrant seniors who enjoy learning, exercise, and entertaining experiences. Topics have included art classes, discussions of current events, author visits, an overview of Jewish boxing, the history of the beautiful Bronx, and Jazz masters. Over the past few years, we have visited the News 12 studio, the White Plain Courthouse, and the Gomez Mill House in Newburgh. Programs often culminate with a gourmet lunch.

A highlight is our weekly exercise class, which includes Balance, Chair Yoga, and Golden Zumba. We look forward to the return of these activities in the Fall. Currently, we meet every Monday on Zoom from 11am-12 noon for a current events discussion, facilitated by Shari Baum, MSW. Consider joining our dynamic discussions! We look forward to returning to in-person activities to build community with other adults from lower Westchester.

Have a passion? Consider sharing your knowledge and leading a discussion with our group. We are open to all. If you know of others who may want to join our group, please contact Julie Rockowitz, jrockowitz@ bethelnr.org. 914.235.2700 x 256.