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 – 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 […]
D’var Torah – December 26
Shabbat Shalom! I pray this finds you all well. A story: it’s New Year’s Eve, and a young couple who are arguing about something quite trivial are torn away from their contentious disagreement when a pipe bursts. After several unsuccessful phone calls they realize there are no plumbers around. With no other options left, they grab whatever tools they have, go on YouTube for a tutorial, and fix the problem themselves. A second story: a young man who is always glued to his phone is on a cross-country business trip when he gets a flat tire. There’s no cell service, no WiFi…nothing. He’s never done anything remotely mechanical in his life, but without any other option, he opens the car manual and proceeds to put on a spare. A final story: a young woman is also on a cross-country business trip when her cars break down similarly in the middle […]
D’var Torah – December 12
Shabbat Shalom! I pray this email finds you all well. Let’s imagine that there’s this company, and it could be any sort of business you want…an accounting firm, an HVAC contractor, a drywall installation group…you name it. Well, the boss, he has his favorite employees. Maybe his favorites go to the same church, synagogue, mosque, or temple as him, maybe they all went to the same college or high school, or maybe they like the same type of music or hobbies. The boss makes no secret of his bias, giving his preferred workers the best clients, the cushiest assignments, or easiest schedules and routes, whether they’ve earned them or not. The other employees, as you can imagine, grow frustrated and embittered. No matter how much blood, sweat, and tears, overtime and energy, and spirit and conviction they pour into the company, it seems their efforts go unnoticed and unrewarded. So […]
