Rabbi Schwartz's Sukkot (5780) Sermon: Jonah's Sukkah
10/18/2019 07:29:43 PM
The following is a text version of Rabbi Steve Schwartz's sermon from the First Day of Sukkot (5780):
One of the more interesting, and at the same timeless familiar traditions of Sukkot is called Ushpizin. Ushpizin is an Aramaic word that means guests, and the idea...Read more...
Rabbi Steve Schwartz's Yom Kippur (5780) sermon: What We Stand For
10/18/2019 06:56:52 PM
The following is a text version of Rabbi Steve Schwartz's Yom Kippur (5780) sermon:
There is a story told of a rabbi who was having trouble with a sleepy congregant. It seems every time the rabbi began to preach, the congregant, within the first couple of minutes of the rabbi speaking, would fall into a sound sleep....Read more...
YIZKOR: A Remembering Ritual with Rabbi Saroken
10/16/2019 01:41:39 PM
By: Rabbi Dana Saroken
Our hearts break when we lose someone that we love. Then, for the first 11 months, Judaism guides us through grief. Beginning with burial, shiva, shloshim (the first 30 days), and then come the next ten months and an unveiling. Then what? What many people do not know is...Read more...
Rabbi Schwartz's Kol Nidre Sermon
10/08/2019 07:11:52 PM
The following is a text version of Rabbi Steve Schwartz's Kol Nidre (5780) sermon:
When our children were growing up, we had an imaginary friend who lived in the house with us, whose name was AILAT - spelled A I L A T. Ailat used to turn up in all kinds of places and situations, but mostly...Read more...
Planting the Seeds: Beth El Dedicates Generations Park on Sukkot
10/08/2019 05:54:16 PM
By: Brandon Chiat, Digital Media Strategist
Before the pavilion of Generations Park rose from the dirt in July 2019; Before Rabbi Steve Schwartz and Ritual Director Ben Kreshtool led a group of excitable preschoolers through a Havdalah service commemorating the opening of their new playground...Read more...
5780 Simchat Torah Honorees: Robert Slatkin and Arnold Fruman
10/08/2019 05:25:33 PM
Every year Beth El recognizes and honors individuals who through their leadership and volunteerism have significant impact on our synagogue community. We are deeply grateful to Arnold Fruman and Robert Slatkin who have co-chaired Beth El's Annual Appeal for over 15 years.
Their commitment...Read more...
A Perfect Strike: From One Generation to the Next
10/04/2019 07:01:03 PM
The following is a text version of Rabbi Steve Schwartz's sermon from the Second Day of Rosh Hashanah, 5780:
We were standing graveside, burying a woman who was the family's beloved mother and grandmother. She had lived a long and good life, well into her 90s, having been blessed with a long and loving...Read more...
On Empathy
10/04/2019 02:20:29 PM
The following is a text version of Rabbi Dana Saroken's Rosh Hashanah (5780) sermon:
It was 1945 when Rabbi Robert Marcus was sent to Europe as a chaplain. He was an American rabbi, lawyer, and activist, and he had enlisted to be a part of the war efforts. World War II was coming to an end, and...Read more...
Darkness and Light
10/02/2019 09:30:58 PM
The following is a text version of Rabbi Steve Schwartz's sermon from First Day of Rosh Hashanah, 5780:
It was on Rosh Hashanah, 75 years ago today, 1944, that a small group of Jews, prisoners at Auschwitz, were sent on a work detail to a remote area in the woods on the edge of the camp. The...Read more...
Take A Bow: Bruce Eicher Retires After 56 Years As Beth El's Organist
08/30/2019 07:47:01 PM
By: Brandon Chiat, Digital Media Strategist
High Holy Day services at Beth El would be incomplete without the synagogue's organ resounding throughout the vaulted walls of the Berman-Rubin Sanctuary.
Though uncharacteristic of a conservative synagogue, organ music has been a...Read more...