Play Dreidel
What You’ll Need Playing pieces (plastic chips, pennies, small candies, buttons, peanuts in the shell, etc. may be used) for each person A dreidel for the group How to Play Distribute an equal number of playing pieces to each person. Begin by having each of the players put one or two pieces into a common pot. Take turns spinning […]
Air fryer Latkes
LATKES: 2 shallots 6 potatoes, like Yukon Golds, peeled and quartered Pinch of baking soda 2 eggs 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 2 tablespoons flour Olive oil spray to coat the air fryer basket …………………………………………………….. TOPPINGS (optional): Sour cream or Greek yogurt Gravlax, fresh dill, and […]
Our Relay for Life team
Community Seder - April 13, RSVP by April 7
D’var Torah – Jan 16
This Word of the Week is dedicated to Beth Israel Congregation of Jackson, Mississippi and the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL), which were the target of a hate-filled arson attack last weekend. Bizrat HaShem, with God’s help, may our Jewish brothers and sisters in Jackson know our love, may they be strengthened, and may they not only rebuild, but indeed achieve even more than they did before. If you would like to donate to aid Beth Israel or the ISJL, links to both are available here: Beth Israel Congregation Institute of Southern Jewish Life Shabbat Shalom! I pray that this finds you all well. When most people think of this week’s parsha of Va’eira (Exodus 6:2-9:35), it’s usually the first seven of the ten plagues that God sends against the Egyptians that come to mind. However, the parsha also includes “The Promises of Redemption”, which we recall annually […]
D’var Torah – Jan 9
Shabbat Shalom! I pray this finds you all well. In chemistry class they’re known as “lab partners”; in a plane it’s the pilot and co-pilot; in the Navy SEALS they’re known as “swim buddies”; and in tennis they’re “doubles”. What do these relationships all have in common? Essentially, it’s two people who work together…but yet it’s more than that. They share ideas, they throw ideas past one another, they respectfully criticize, they motivate and inspire one another, and they support one another during some trying moments. In these truly effective and much sought-after partnerships, each person knows the strengths and faults of one another, and both help draw out the best in one another. This idea of loyal partnership is on full display in this week’s parsha of Shemot (Exodus 1:1-6:1). When God tells Moses that He has called him to appear before Pharaoh and demand the freedom of the […]
D’var Torah – January 2
Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Scott Klein! Parashah (Torah Portion): Vayechi Annual Torah Reading – Bereishit (Genesis) 47:28-50:26 Haftarah – I Kings 2:1-12 Dear Beth El Community, This week, we reach a powerful and poignant milestone as we conclude the first book of the Torah with Parshat Vayechi, which means “and he lived.” While the portion begins with a reflection on Jacob’s seventeen peaceful years in Egypt, it primarily focuses on his final days and the legacy he leaves for his children and grandchildren. The heart of the parasha lies in the blessings Jacob bestows upon his descendants. In a moving scene, Jacob crosses his arms to place his right hand on the younger grandson, Ephraim, and his left on the older, Manasseh, signaling that spiritual leadership is not always a matter of birthright, but of character and divine intent. He then gathers all twelve of his sons to offer each […]
D’var Torah – December 19
This D’var is dedicated to the following individuals who were so tragically taken from us: The 15 Victims of the Bondi Beach Massacre: Matilda (10 years old), Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Dan Elkayam, Holocaust survivor Alexander Kleytman, husband and wife Boris and Sofia Gurman, Peter Meagher, Reuven Morrison, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, Tibor Weitzen, Marika Pogany, Edith Brutman, Boris Tetleroyd, and Adam Smyth Those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country while deployed to Syria: SGT Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment Iowa Army National Guard; SGT William Nathaniel Howard, 29, Marshalltown, Iowa 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment Iowa Army National Guard; US Army civilian interpreter Ayad “Eddie” Mansoor Sakat, 54, a husband and father of four. The victims of the Brown University and MIT shootings: Ella Cook, 19, of Birmingham, Alabama; Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, of Midlothian, Virginia; Professor Nuno Loureiro, 47, of […]
