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!
September 5, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
The Necessity of Vulnerability for Connection Rabbi Ari Saks Congregation Beth Mordecai Rosh Hashanah Sermon 5774 (September 5, 2013)* It was a cool Rosh Hashanah morning in early September. All of the worshippers of the small schul in the center of town had already been davening, praying together for a few hours. They were currently davening the Mussaf Amidah, the central prayer in the second half of the service which we, here are Beth Mordecai, will soon pray together. Every worshipper was deep in their thoughts, shuckling back and forth as the words flowed from their lips…zohrenu l’hayyim tovim kol v’nei v’ritekha – God, remember us the children of your covenant for good. Little Deborah, all of 9 years old, stood watching as the men and women of[...]
Category : Rabbi Rosh Hashanah Sermons Uncategorized Tag : Rosh Hashanah sermons
July 5, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, Yesterday, I went up to Hoboken to view the fireworks. The city has become a popular place for July 4th over the last few years because of it's proximity to the colorful display of joy over the Hudson River; popular to the tune of 40,000 spectators according to a local event staffer. As I waited for the show to begin, it struck me how many people from different races, religions, creeds, and ethnicities were gathered together peacefully for one (viewing) purpose... An Indian family lying out on a blanket to my right trying to remain comfortable during the long wait A Hispanic man standing next to me asking me to hold his spot while seeking out a better view [...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : abraham joshua heschel diversity Divinity fireworks rabbi rabbi's journal unity
June 1, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
"The purpose of our life is happiness for a simple reason...our existence is based on hope" -the Dalai Lama Hope is one of the most beautiful four letter words written in the English language. It's a word that has inspired political campaigns, social movements, and, as the Dalai Lama points out,[1] our simple pursuit of happiness. It's a word that many of us use when we look into the future and believe in our heart of hearts that the future is going to be better than our past or our present. It's a[...]
Category : Bulletin Articles Rabbi
May 31, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, Who doesn't like exchanging gifts? Who doesn't like the excitement of opening up a box full of mystery and opportunity -- is it a toy? a book? a piece of jewelry? The anticipation of ripping through that wrapping paper can be thrilling, even if it's just for a moment. Yet there is also the other side of gift giving: the trepidation that we didn't get the right gift. As a giver, we are anxious to not disappoint our loved one with our gift-choice, and as a receiver, we are cautious that our reaction may hurt the feelings of the giver. From personal experience I can tell you that I've felt these disparate emotions -- excitement and trepidation -- at the[...]
Category : Cantorial Showcase Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : cantor showcase Cantorial Showcase gifts
May 8, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
*Note: This message is a little longer than usual
Dear Hevreh,
כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה
Kol Yisrael arevim zeh lazeh
All of Israel is responsible for one another
An important area of my job that I am working on is learning how to balance -- how to balance my personal and professional lives, how to balance speaking up versus staying quiet, and how to balance spearheading a small institution while participating in a larger Jewish community. The health of our community, in our programming, in our relationships, and in our participation, can only be strengthened by being a part of the larger Jewish community. This is why we have spent great effort to participate in communal activities like the Purimcarnivaland the
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : balance community israel klal yisrael purim yom hashoa יום השועה פורים
March 23, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
From Transformation to Redemption: Stepping into the Red Sea and Beyond
(Shabbat Hagadol, March 23, 2013)*
Rabbi Ari Saks
Congregation Beth Mordecai
Perth Amboy, NJ
On a cold, blustery afternoon in mid-town Manhattan I sat down with Cantor David Levine, zikhrono livrakhah, may his memory be for a blessing, to discuss the upcoming High Holiday season. I was impressed with his breadth of knowledge on hazzanut, the art of cantorial music, and I was excited by his willingness to try new ideas to make the service more engaging and meaningful. Yet the most inspiring moment of my time with our beloved hazzan was[...]
Category : Passover Rabbi Sermons Shabbat Tag : cantor david levine egypt hazzanut high holidays mareh kohen passover pesah rabbi melinda zalma redemption Rosh Hashanah shabbat slavery transformation tzror hamor Yom Kippur
March 7, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Last night, over a dozen members and friends of Beth Mordecai gathered for our third holiday cooking class with the wonderful folks of tABLEhealth. We made a delicious alternative to the usual gefilte fish appetizer, yummy vegetables that stole the show, and a quinoa salad that displayed the creativity of Passover cooking.
Check out updates from last night's cooking class on my twitter feed of @Ari_Saks
Yet just as significant as the activity of the program was the activism of our community after the program. People started talking, conversed, and exchanged phone numbers to discuss future programs -- trips to New York, fun day activities, long term projects for the synagogue. That activism comes on the heels of a[...]
Category : Holidays Passover Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : activism activity cooking class holidays passover rabbi rabbi's journal
January 29, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Wow, what an event on Sunday! Safran Hall was packed with members of Perth Amboy's Jewish community from both near and far to celebrate the completion of Perth Amboy's Jewish Community: History, Memories, Tribute. In addition to enjoying delicious cookies and coffee prepared by our own Ann Blog, we learned about the twelve year process that went into making this special book. As author Mona Shangold said, one of the primary purposes of the book is to have a written record of the vibrant, exciting, and full Jewish life enjoyed by so many people so that their descendants could have an insight into where they came from.
Here are some great pictures from the event!
Yet more than just a trip down memory lane, this[...]
Category : Blast from the Past Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : bardin levavy blast from the past history lynn ebert memories perth amboy history perth amboy's jewish community rabbi rabbi's journal rhoda juskow robert specter tribute
January 11, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
*Note: This messsage is a little longer than usual* Dear Hevreh, A brief glimpse into any moment Jewish history reveals that we have been pulled by two, often opposing, poles -- towards our connection with our people and towards being a part of the greater society. As such one of the tenets of Conservative Judaism that makes me a Conservative Jew, is that we can be both -- we can be good Jews and good members of society. Two upcoming events for our community clearly demonstrate our commitment to this belief. 1) Super Sunday Phone-a-thon for Jewish Federation of Middlesex County, this Sunday 1/13 8:30 am -- 2:00 pm; 5:30 pm -- 9:00 pm We have always been a people of small numbers, yet we[...]
Category : Middlesex Jewish News Perth Amboy News Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : Day of Service Federation hurricane sandy Jewish klal yisrael Middlesex County society St. Peter's Episcopal Church world
December 9, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Well, it's official. Beth Mordecai has successfully invaded Barnes and Noble! In partnership with PJ Library of Middlesex Federation and Barnes and Noble of Menlo Park, we had a wonderful event with crafts, songs, and Hanukkah stories. There were 7-8 families who had their kids take part in the event (for a total of around 10 kids), many of whom are currently unaffiliated. One family is already planning on coming to the Hanukkah party and another expressed great interest in our Hebrew School program called Project Jewish Living. We will be following up with the families in the next couple of days, but most importantly we provided them with a positive Jewish experience that[...]
Category : Events Hanukkah Kidz Korner Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : barnes and noble crafts family hanukkah kidz korner rabbi rabbi's journal reading