Congregation Beth Mordecai
Congregation Beth Mordecai
An inclusive congregation affiliated with the Conservative Movement.
Your Jewish Home for the Soul!
An inclusive congregation affiliated with the Conservative Movement.
Your Jewish Home for the Soul!
February 11, 2015 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Casual...
If I had to use one word to describe the reason behind why I host Learning with the Rabbi and Ask the Rabbi at Panera and the Mall (respectively), it would be "casual." By "casual" I mean creating a space and an opportunity that lends itself to open dialogue without judgement or fear of needing to put on a show. No one can deny that sitting down for a cup of coffee in a booth feels different than sitting across a desk in the rabbi's office. We are more likely to be honest and open with ourselves (and with the person sitting across from us) when we don't feel like we need to act in a certain way. If[...]
Category : Adult Education Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : Abortion ask the rabbi Casual Jewish Mall Questions Serious views
November 20, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
(11/20/14), Most, if not all of us, are aware of the terrible crime committed the other day in a synagogue in Jerusalem. Terrorists murdered a group of Jewish worshippers while the worshippers were standing in the opposite direction -- to the east -- to davven the Amidah, a prayer recited by all Jews everywhere around the world. The symbolism of this horrible moment in an increasingly devastating conflict couldn't be more acute. The davveners were facing towards the center of Jewish worship -- the Temple Mount -- while their murderers attacked in response to purported fears that Jews wanted to take over the Temple Mount for Jewish worship. Despite occasional flare-ups, the fact that Jews pray towards the Temple Mount and Muslims pray[...]
Category : Adult Education Israeli News Jewish Current Events Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Services Shabbat Tag : adult education Amidah david kraemer israeli news jewish current events learning memory outrage rabbi rabbi's journal remember services shabbat
November 13, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Hebrew is a wonderful, inspiring, charming, and yet deeply challenging facet of Judaism. It holds many of our greatest secrets and reveals the depths of Jewish wisdom. It is a language that has been dissected and analyzed for ages and much of what we know as Jewish -- from religious laws to cultural practices -- has a source in Hebrew (and particularly the Hebrew found in the Torah).
Yet while it is full of such richness, that richness is hidden behind a veil of strange looking letters, vowels, and symbols that can confound us. And not just us, but our ancestors as well, as in the case of Jews living in the first diaspora community in Alexandria who publicly read[...]
Category : Adult Education Jewish Culture and History Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : adult education anti-semitism bet hebrew alphabet letters rabbi rabbi's journal
November 10, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Join us THURSDAY for the SECOND installment of our Adult Ed Series: A Little Schtickala of Yiddishkeit
HEBREW PRACTICE -- 7:00 - 7:30 PM
Build your reading skills -- beginner to expert!
We will pair you with a partner on your own level!
Siddur Hebrew or Modern Hebrew!
Session 1 -- 7:30 - 8:15 pm
Secrets of the Hebrew Language -- The letter "Bet" with Rabbi Saks
Come and learn the secrets of the Hebrew language in this special class designed to demystify each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This month we do the letter Bet.
FOOD Break – 8:15 – 8:30
Session 2 – 8:30 – 9:15 pm
"Why Do they Hate Us"? A discussion on the origins of Anti-semitism with Rabbi Saks
How old is anti-Semitism really?
When did[...]
Category : Adult Education Hebrew home Jewish Culture and History Tag : adult education anti-semitism hebrew jewish culture and history
By bethmordecai no comments.
Join us for a VERY special guest lecture from renowned Talmudist, Professor, Librarian of the Jewish Theological Seminary DR. DAVID KRAEMER!
Date: 7:30 pm Thursday, November 20th 2014
Where: Congregation Beth Mordecai (224 High Street, Perth Amboy 08861)
Topic: Food, Identity, and Blessings
[caption id="attachment_4117" align="aligncenter" width="300" class=" "] Photo taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwartz's[/caption]
Many assume that when we recite blessings for food (such as “hamotzi”), we are in effect blessing the food we are about to consume. In reality, though, blessings have a very different function and, understood correctly, they provide a crucial key to understanding the Jewish world-view. What do kashrut and blessings say about our relationship to this earth? This is the fundamental question Dr. Kraemer will address in his presentation.
Photo taken from --
Category : Adult Education Tag : david kraemer food guest lecture
November 6, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
For better or worse, much of the history of Jewish life in America has revolved around synagogues, whether it's small shtibles in which Jews traditionally prayed three times a day, or larger community centers envisioned by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, or the current incarnation of homes for Jewish people to gather and share important moments in the calendar year and in their life cycle. And even though there have been attempts to expand the kinds of programming offered at synagogues, the foundational element for synagogues are the religious services provided to the community.
So does this mean that, for better or worses, Jewish identity, so intertwined with synagogue life, is built around services? Is Jewish identity primarily related to our religious[...]
Category : Adult Education Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : adult education jewish identity rabbi rabbi's journal services synagogue
By bethmordecai no comments.
JEWISH CULTURE & HISTORY -- Do Progressive Jews Believe in the Afterlife?
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Post by Congregation Beth Mordecai.
For more updates, please visit our Facebook page!
Photo taken from -- http://www.tytnetwork.com/2013/12/01/science-professor-claims-can-prove-theres-afterlife/
Category : Adult Education Jewish Culture and History Social Media Tag : adult education afterlife facebook jewish culture and history progressive jews social media
May 27, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Last week I talked about how the growth of our community can be seen in our ability to run multiple programs during the weekend. This weekend provides another opportunity for us to display that growth with our Cantor Showcase (Friday 8 pm), Scholar-In-Residence (Saturday 11 am) and Annual Congregational Meeting (Sunday 10 am).
But why should you come out to these events? What's their value to you as an individual and to us as a community?
Over the course of the week I will be sharing individual journal entries about each of these particular programs and events to explain how they represent some of the most exciting and important values of our community. But in the meantime,[...]
Category : Adult Education Cantorial Showcase Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : adult education apple Cantorial Showcase community rabbi rabbi's journal scholar in residence unique torah value your verse
December 31, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Over the past two months, a small group of us have discussed plans for an adult education program for our community and out of that process has emerged two distinct themes: stories and shtickle.
First, stories. To anyone who has come to Friday night services or read some of my journals (like this one or that one), you'll know that stories are an important aspect of my rabbinate. Not only is storytelling one of the most effective ways of communicating ideas, especially in our culture which has a storied oral tradition, but it also provides an access point for us to share the Unique Torah we've accumulated from our life experiences. And by sharing those stories to access our Unique Torah, we create[...]
Category : Adult Education Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : adult education rabbi rabbi's journal shtickle stories storytelling unique torah
November 13, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
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Category : Adult Education American Jewish News Israeli News Jewish Culture and History Jewish Current Events Learning Tag : egalitarian mechitzah orthodox prayer women
