Young folks share their lives with our older members, singles and couples call on each other as friends and companions, and each of us individually counts in the lives of all of us collectively.
Beth Israel is committed to creating moments of light in our lives to encounter the divine, through prayer, study, observance of the holidays and adoption of the mitzvot.
As a more than 100-year old community, everything we do is grounded in tradition. But the purpose of that grounding is not to weigh us down, but to allow us to soar.
We are an independent, egalitarian Jewish community that welcomes all spiritual seekers. Proud of our ancient faith, we combine the study of our sacred texts with prayer that is engaging emotionally and spiritually. In our charming, 100-year-old building, we nurture a community that is caring and joyful.
Latest blogs
At times, knowing the truth is not the same as knowing what is just
It takes courage to defy authority and do the thing one thinks is right. So when Shiphrah and Puah disobey Pharaoh by not killing the Israelite newborns, God rewards them by making houses for them. But I think God’s greater reward is the preservation of their names.
I never remember my kids asking me the question that Mr. Lukas so dreads: “Dada, can we celebrate Christmas.” They never asked it because to them, the Jewish alternative to Christmas was never Hanukkah.
My Jewish upbringing was entirely cultural, not religious. Yiddish aphorisms did more to shape my identity than any biblical story. For a long time I missed the irony that, though raised an atheist, I was taught to believe that certain things were basheyrt - meant to be. Certainly the Torah wants us to understand the marriage of Rebecca and Isaac as basheyrt.
