Thursday Morning Minyan
Co-led by Louise Stirpe-Gill and Ellen Stromberg
Thursdays at 8:00 am, Chapel
Please join us and start your day in community, with the Thursday lay-led minyan.
Our purpose is threefold: to provide a place, support and a minyan for those wishing to say Kaddish for a loved one; to allow all of us to start our day with a prayerful and centering practice; and to learn more about the daily service. We use prayers in English, Hebrew and transliteration.
Lifelong Learning at Beth Am - Enroll or Drop-In on a Class
Make this year a year of Torah by enrolling in a Hebrew class or dropping in on one of our ongoing classes like Torah Study or Talmud. By now, you should have received a mailing detailing our lifelong learning opportunities for 2008-2009. You can also visit www.betham.org/adult_ed/ for a complete list of classes and programs.
For more information or to register, call the Education office at (650) 493-4665.
ACC Announces New Website Learning Opportunities for Congregations
ACC announces their new website along with the addition of a new section: Notes Worth Knowing! Under the Programs and Services tab at http://www.accantors.org . A different essay written by a distinguished cantor will be presented each month. The ACC believes that these essays will serve as another means towards achieving a higher level of knowledge and awareness of Jewish music.
The first piece, written by ACC president Cantor Kay Greenwald titled "Why is the Music Different during the High Holy Days?" discusses the history behind the special liturgical melodies for the Days of Awe.
BATY and BAJY Events
Free the Children Fundraising Campaign and Ecuador Trip
Come to Ecuador with BATY! We are thinking big in terms of social action this year. Throughout the next semester, BATY will be raising money to build a school house in Ecuador with Free the Children. Then, in June, we’ll go build it! We are building a leadership board to make this happen, and if you want to be a part of it, please email me (slauing@betham.org) or Kelsey Swezey, Social Action Vice President of BATY (kelseyswezey@gmail.com)
For more information about BATY events, click here.
BATY President Steve Chizen
BATY Treasurer Bill Greenwald
RSVP for youth events to Sarah Lauing or 650/493-4665, x. 405.
Beth Am Professional Network
Congregation Beth Am–Linked In Group
Let’s bring our vibrant community on-line!
As a member on LinkedIn, it’s easy to connect to other Congregants by keying in Congregation Beth Am from the Groups Directory and clicking on Join this Group. Once your name is verified with the current member list, that’s it, you’re connected to the Beth Am community.
If you are in employment transition, please join the Beth Am Professional Network. Contact jillkulick@comcast.net
Visit Israel with Your Beth Am Community
June-July, 2009: NFTY Summer Trip for Teens - Two NEW Programs this summer!
Beth Am teens are invited to join the NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth) Israel trip with Reform Jewish teens, which usually leaves in late June and goes through July. There are four, five, and six week programs available. Contact nftytravel@urj.org, or call 845-987-6300, x. 6351 or visit http://www.nftyisrael.org/PR
Build Your Own Chavurah!
In Three Easy Steps!
Being part of a chavurah means having friends at Beth Am —friends with whom you can share a day at the park or the joy of making latkes. Our congregation boasts over 25 different chavurot (plural of chavurah) who meet regularly to socialize, to share Jewish holidays, to study, to camp, to visit the Jewish Film Festival or just to enjoy a meal together. And for those 25+ groups of people with shared experiences between them, Beth Am is a richer place for the relationships they’ve built. It takes some effort, but it is profoundly worthwhile!
If you’d like to take the plunge and be part of a Beth Am chavurah, just follow these three simple steps:
- Find folks at the synagogue you enjoy spending time with, and invite themto start a chavurah. You don’t have to decide how often to get together or what you should do together. Just get the conversation started!
- Link up with others to join your newly-formed chavurah. A successful chavurah is made up of 10 to 20 people. They may be individuals, families with school age children, retirees or any gradation in between. The only requirement is a willingness to make time for each other and the group.
- Get in touch with Rabbi Adam Allenberg (rabbi_allenberg@betham.org) to register your new chavurah and to get support getting things started. We’ve enlisted the help of several experienced Chavurah Coaches to help guide your new group to a successful system of keeping things exciting and interesting!
Rabbi Akselrad Memoir Available
Lishma: For His Name's Sake--The Life and Times of Rabbi Sidney AkselradRabbi Sidney Akselrad's memoir is available at Amazon.com and bookstores nationwide.
July Tzedakah Will Support Be'er-Sova
Our July tzedakah donations will help Be'er-Sova provide a special family evening for at-risk families in Be'er Sheva, an Israeli city in the Negev desert.
Set up in 1999 by a group of volunteers, Be’er-Sova is an organization devoted to supplying food to the needy in Be'er Sheva and the surrounding area. With extremely high rates of unemployment and nearly a quarter of the local population on welfare, the severe cuts in government assistance have driven many to desperation. Be'er-Sova provides a soup kitchen offering hot, nutritious meals six days a week and take-out meals on Shabbat for families and individuals who are unemployed. They also offer a family meal in their restaurant, which enables families to eat together, spend quality time together, and experience educational or cultural activities together with dignity. Your contribution this month, large or small, will enable needy Israeli families to enjoy a meal together.
A check (payable to Congregation Beth Am) may also be mailed to the office as follows: Congregation Beth Am, Attn: Tzedakah Boxes, 26790 Arastradero Road, Los Altos Hills, CA 94022.