JEWISH SANTA FE
05/31/2023 11:00:00 AM
The Bet Torah Blog editor and his wife have been in New Mexico for the past week, and he shares here a little insight on Jewish Santa Fe.
Visiting Santa Fe, the oldest capital city in the United States, one can understand why this charming locale is so appealing to many Jews, transplanted from elsewhere and home-grown. The city has a robust Jewish population, estimated at approximately 6,000; which puts it on a par with many large...Read more...
REFLECTIONS ON MORNING MINYANIM AT BET TORAH
05/31/2023 11:00:00 AM
Life has changed since COVID. We see that change in our daily lives: at work, play, and social interaction. And we see that change in the way we pray. At its height, COVID kept us from gathering in person to pray together. Thankfully, we could avail ourselves of technologies to continue that connection. As COVID waned, we began to move away from digital davening and began to return to 60 Smith Ave....Read more...
SAVE-THE-DATE - FAMILY DAY - SUNDAY, JUNE 4TH, 11:00-1:00
05/31/2023 11:00:00 AM
Families come in many forms and sizes and different circumstances. What we all share is unconditional love and support for those growing into the same family tree. Family Day is a celebration of mothers, fathers, grandparents, caregivers and our children. Brunch catered by Chef Rene Leon. Our Mitzvah Collection will be adult and children's pajamas. Event free with RSVP. Register here!
As a pilot program this year, we are honoring...Read more...
RALLY AGAINST HATE - JUNE 6
05/24/2023 11:00:00 AM
Join in as we come together as one community against hate in all forms. Westchester County Courthouse Plaza, 111 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, White Plains, NY, Tuesday, June 6th, 4:00-5:00 PM. For further information, please contact Pam at the Westchester Jewish Council - pam@wjcouncil.org.
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ISRAEL TO INVEST $40 MILLION IN NORTH AMERICAN JEWISH DAY SCHOOLS
05/24/2023 11:00:00 AM
(Reposted and abridged from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 5/16/23)
Citing “a major crisis in Jewish education,” Israel’s Diaspora ministry plans to pour about $40 million into training educators at Jewish schools in the United States and Canada.
Amichai Chikli, Israel’s minister of Diaspora affairs, announced the initiative, called “Aleph Bet” after the first two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, on Monday. He hopes...Read more...
SAVE-THE-DATE - SISTERHOOD BOARD INSTALLATION - JUNE 7, 6:45-9:30 PM
05/24/2023 11:00:00 AM
Join Sisterhood at Bet Torah for the installation of the new board. You can register here. If you prefer to pay by check please bring it to Bet Torah and contact Alexa Baer to register.
THREE NEWSPAPERS’ COVERAGE OF ISRAEL’S FOUNDING IN 1948
05/17/2023 11:00:00 AM
(Reposted and abridged from The Forward, 5/15/23)
Haaretz (Israel) - May 18, 1948
Because of Shabbat, Haaretz announced Israel’s independence two days after it was declared, on May 16, 1948. The...Read more...
FOR NATIONAL WINE DAY (MAY 25) … KOSHER RECOMMENDATIONS
05/17/2023 11:00:00 AM
BT member Geoff Kalish, MD is a retired physician who has written about wine for the past 40 years for such publications as The New York Times (Westchester Weekly Section) and the Wine Spectator ("Wine Health and You"). He currently writes on wine regularly for Westchester Magazine and...Read more...
BET TORAH’S NEXT CONTEMPLATIVE SHABBAT
05/17/2023 11:00:00 AM
Saturday, June 10, 2023
9:30 AM - 10:15 AM
In-person in the Chapel and bettorah-org.zoom.us/j/82296207078
Join Rabbi Sacks for a spiritually rich Shabbat morning experience of singing, learning, and meditation, in-person in the chapel and on Zoom. Every...Read more...
MAY IS JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH!
05/10/2023 11:00:00 AM
The following proclamation has been issued by the White House:
This month, we celebrate the enduring heritage of Jewish Americans, whose values, culture, and contributions have shaped our character as a Nation. For generations, the story of the Jewish people — one of resilience, faith, and hope in the face of adversity, prejudice and persecution — has been woven into the fabric of our Nation’s story. It has driven us...Read more...
REFLECTIONS ON MORNING MINYANIM AT BET TORAH
05/10/2023 11:00:00 AM
Life has changed since COVID. We see that change in our daily lives: at work, play, and social interaction. And we see that change in the way we pray. At its height, COVID kept us from gathering in person to pray together. Thankfully, we could avail ourselves of technologies to continue that connection. As COVID waned, we began to move away from digital davening and began to return to 60 Smith Ave....Read more...
SAVE-THE-DATE - SUNDAY, JUNE 11 - AFYA FOUNDATION MEDICAL SUPPLY AND EQUIPMENT COLLECTION
05/10/2023 11:00:00 AM
AFYA Foundation collects unused medical supplies and equipment and ships them to under-resourced and compromised health systems around the world.
Currently, throughout the United States, after a loved one dies at home, family and caregivers are faced with the challenge of...Read more...
So Much Celebrated at Kabbalat Shabbat
05/03/2023 11:00:00 AM
The Bet Torah Community did far more than welcome in Shabbat on Friday, April 28th. In addition to the usual joy and magic of the Kabbalat Shabbat liturgy, a packed sanctuary celebrated Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, and 75th birthday, and welcomed guests from the Yorktown Ward of Latter Day Saints (LDS).
The LDS Church members joined us as part of a two-session interfaith program coordinated by AJC...Read more...
Annual Meeting - THIS WEEKEND!
05/03/2023 11:00:00 AM
Bet Torah’s annual membership meeting will be held on Sunday, May 7th, from 9:45 - 11:00 AM.
We will review Bet Torah’s work over the past year, including our financial performance, and also discuss future plans. Most importantly, we will vote to elect our Board’s officers and directors for next year. We need representatives from at least 57 families to be present in order for the meeting to proceed. We urge you to...Read more...
RABBI HAROLD KUSHNER, AUTHOR OF “WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE” DIES AT 88
05/03/2023 11:00:00 AM
(Reposted and abridged from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 4/28/23.)
Rabbi Harold Kushner, one of the most influential congregational rabbis of the 20th century whose works of popular theology reached millions of people outside the synagogue, has died.
Kushner, who turned 
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Save The Date!
04/26/2023 11:00:00 AM
Bet Torah’s annual membership meeting will be held on Sunday, May 7th, from 9:45 - 11:00 AM.
We will review Bet Torah’s work over the past year, including our financial performance, and also discuss future budget plans. Most importantly, we will vote to elect our Board’s officers and directors for next year. We need representatives from at least 57 families to be present in order for the meeting to proceed. We urge you to...Read more...
Bet Torah's Newest Member
04/26/2023 11:00:00 AM
The Bet Torah sanctuary overflowed with joy on Sunday as Cantors Gil Ezring and Eryka Velazquez introduced their daughter to the congregation at her naming! Her English name is Gabriella Diana Ezring, and her Hebrew name is Avrianah Chayah. Gabriella has already been lucky enough to be serenaded by both her parents!
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JEWISH YANKEE HARRISON BADER TALKS BASEBALL OVER MATZAH BALL SOUP AND PASTRAMI AT LIEBMAN’S DELI
04/26/2023 11:00:00 AM
(Reposted from NY Jewish Week, 4/21/23)
What better way to recover from an injury than some Jewish penicillin?
New York Yankees Jewish outfielder Harrison Bader, who is missing the beginning of the 2023 MLB season due to an oblique muscle injury, starred in a recent episode of “Home Plate: New York,” a program hosted by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson. In each installment of the show, which is available on the YES App,...Read more...
SAVE-THE-DATE: SHABBAT A LA MODE AND SACRED FAITH SHARING PROGRAM - APRIL 28TH
04/19/2023 11:00:00 AM
Bet Torah is taking part in a special two-part faith sharing program organized with AJC Westchester/Fairfield. Bet Torah will host Part 1 on Friday and members will be able to attend Part 2 on Sunday at the LDS Church.
Part 1: Friday, April 28 at 6:30 pm at Bet Torah-- Shabbat a la Mode and Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration!
Join your Bet Torah community to celebrate Yom Ha'Atzmaut with an Israeli themed Shabbat dinner followed by a...Read more...
NOT ONLY WOMEN HAVE BOOK CLUBS!
04/19/2023 11:00:00 AM
The Bet Torah Men’s Club Book Club (yes, you read this correctly) will meet next on Wednesday, April 26, at 7:45 pm, to discuss the John Grisham novel, Playing For Pizza. This will be at the home of Ben Hollister. For additional information, please...Read more...
PASSOVER AT RIKERS ISLAND: HOW THE NOTORIOUS JAIL COMPLEX HOLDS A SEDER FOR JEWISH INMATES
04/19/2023 11:00:00 AM
(Reposted and abridged from New York Jewish Week, 4/3/23)
Miriam Tohill, a Jewish chaplain intern at Rikers Island, is looking forward to co-leading Passover seders for Jewish inmates this year for the first time. But conditions at the New York City jail complex are not ideal.
For the seders, held on the first and second nights of the holiday, some 70 to 100 inmates will be bussed from different parts of the island...Read more...
Save-the-Dates: Sacred Faith Sharing Program - All Are Welcome!
04/12/2023 11:00:00 AM
We are pleased to announce that Bet Torah will take part in a special two-part faith sharing program organized with AJC Westchester/Fairfield.
Part 1: Friday, April 28 at 6:30pm at Bet Torah--Kabbalat Shabbat service and Yom Haatzmaut celebration
Bet Torah will welcome members of the Westchester Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“LDS”) to our Kabbalat Shabbat service. During this special Yom...Read more...
Ode to a Northern Spicebush on Pesach and Jewish Ethics & the Environment
04/12/2023 11:00:00 AM
Next Tuesday, I’ll be starting a 4-week study group at Bet Torah on Jewish Ethics & the Environment. For further information about the class, please contact me at: jongarfunkel@gmail.com. This is a sample of some of the expositions we’ll be doing.
This year, for my act of liberation, I freed some Northern Spicebush trees. I’d identified them, and cleared (with some help) all of the invasive weeds growing around them. Before...Read more...
The Dog-Eat-Dog World of Kosher Pet Food at Passover
04/12/2023 11:00:00 AM
(Reposted and abridged from the Wall Street Journal, 4/4/23)
Callie Sher gushes about the meats put out by Evanger’s, the cannery her family runs outside of Chicago. Religious Jews ask for their products by name.
“If you ever open up a can of Evanger’s, it looks like a brisket,” Ms. Sher says.
But no paying customer has ever tasted it—it is for their pets. Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Company is...Read more...
Men’s Club Save-the-Date - Golf Night - Thursday, April 20th, 7:00 PM
04/05/2023 11:00:00 AM
Even if you don’t play golf, this is a tavern night on steroids! Just come out and join in the fun - at Forged in Mount Kisco. There will be finger foods and beers and the opportunity to try out the golf simulators. Register here!
Mazel Tov!
04/05/2023 11:00:00 AM
To Mindy and Eric Zaidins on the birth of their grandson, Jonah, to Bet Torah graduate David Zaidins, his wife Rebecca, and big sister Charlotte.
Jerusalem Burial Cave yields 1,800-Year-Old Gold Against Evil Eye
04/05/2023 11:00:00 AM
(Reposted from Jewish News Syndicate, 4/3/23)
Jerusalem, it appears, was the city of Gold even after death.
That conclusion comes to mind as scholars ponder why young girls buried in Jerusalem in the Roman period were adorned with fine gold jewelry.
The impressive jewelry found in a burial cave in Jerusalem was worn as amulets against the evil eye 1,800 years ago, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on...Read more...
Passover Playlist from Cantor Ezring
03/29/2023 11:00:00 AM
Pesach is almost here! As we prepare ourselves for our Sedarim and Passover cleaning, here is a Spotify playlist of “Seder Songs Not to Pass Over”! The 5-hour playlist of songs for the Seder that you never knew you wanted! I hope this list of music, both new and familiar, will inspire creative Seders around your table this Pesach. I know that 5 hours of music is not nearly long enough to fill the 40 years wandering in the desert (or the...Read more...
Guided Meditation to Prepare for Pesakh
03/29/2023 11:00:00 AM
Reposted from ritualwell.
The meditation is based on a “Tension Release” practice that has its roots in Kashmir Shaivism, a branch of Hinduism. But it’s for all people, and doesn’t require adherence to a system of belief. I have adapted it to roughly correspond to the four worlds of kabbalah, for a Jewish context. It is particularly appropriate to Pesakh, but can be done any time, including as a daily...Read more...
To Avert Extinction, the Gefilte Fish I Loved Had to Evolve
03/29/2023 11:00:00 AM
Reposted from The Forward, 3/15/23.
For me, just saying the words “gefilte fish” was a portal to another time and place. To my childhood and my parents and their history. But with that generation almost gone, gefilte fish was losing its luster, often politely described as an acquired taste. I worried about extinction, imagining a future where even the words would disappear from our lexicon, the portal closed.
My...Read more...