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!
August 1, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
This is the third of a 3 part journal series previewing different aspects of this Friday night's special Shabbat by the Sea -- Family and Community Edition. The theme for this journal is: wordless music.
Dear Hevreh,
When I was in Israel, I spent some time learning in a small one-room orthodox yeshiva in which the long table which acted as a m'hitzah separating the men from the women. However, the rosh yeshiva allowed for special sessions just for non-orthodox rabbinical students in which this restriction was discarded. The reason? Learning, unlike prayer, is more open to all.
When I was in New York I participated in an interseminary dialogue group with eight different Jewish and Christian seminaries (four each). We spent a good amount[...]
Category : Ari-archive Tag : God's Army Ministries interfaith music niggun rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat by the sea wordless
July 30, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
This is the second of a 3 part journal series previewing different aspects of this Friday night's special Shabbat by the Sea -- Family and Community Edition. The theme for this journal is: partnership
Dear Hevreh,
In one of my journal entries from nearly nine months ago, I used the story of creation in which God created a partner for Adam to show that, according to the wisdom of our tradition, "the only way for humanity to fully enjoy and take advantage of all the potential imbued in creation is when we have partners to work with us because it's not fun to do things alone." This is a teaching that we've applied to much of our programming at Beth Mordecai[...]
Category : Ari-archive Tag : community God's Army Ministries partnership perth amboy rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat by the sea ymca
July 29, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
This is the first of a 3 part journal series previewing different aspects of this Friday night's special Shabbat by the Sea -- Family and Community Edition. The theme for this journal is: creativity.
Dear Hevreh,
One of the things I've enjoyed the most over the past few years is being able to creatively work on ways to engage our community together. Whether it's a Cantorial Showcase, aUnique High Holiday Experience, or driving to people's homes to wave the lulav and count the omer, we've run many unique programs that you won't see in other places. Trying something new is exciting, but there is a certain amount of anxiety and[...]
Category : Ari-archive Tag : creativity fun innovation rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat by the sea
July 25, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, There is nothing like Shabbat by the Sea. The view, the atmosphere, the singing and dancing. It's a very special time for our community, and though our first Shabbat was rained out I am looking forward to a wonderful season of making memories in the open air by the Raritan Bay. Being in the open air (i.e. outside of the walls of our building) means that while the experience of Shabbat by the Sea is meant for our community's benefit, we are exposing the elements of our ritual to onlookers and passerby in the local Perth amboy community. Dog-walkers, runners, children at play, even couples taking pictures before their wedding (according to a story shared by Rabbi Melinda Zalma during[...]
Category : Ari-archive Tag : bayside creamery Giddy's Pizzeria God's Army Ministries openness perth amboy rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat shabbat by the sea ymca
June 17, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
(6/17/14),
The wonderful thing about being outside for services, like at Shabbat by the Sea, is experiencing the natural splendor of creation around us. The challenging thing about being outside for services is that sometimes the natural splendor of creation is not so splendid at all. This past Friday, as we made plans to pray outside, the weather had other ideas -- a downpour arriving close to the beginning of our service forced us to remain indoors, leading our Shabbat by the Sea to become Shabbat in the Sanctuary.
Yet despite the change of scenery, we not only managed to adapt to our new surroundings but we took full advantage of them, whether that was dancing out the front doors[...]
Category : Ari-archive Tag : adaptability adapting memorable nature planning prayer rabbi rabbi's journals shabbat by the sea splendor weather yiddish
June 13, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Today I had the privilege of traveling to Washington Heights in NYC to attend the bris of my cousin's newborn son. It's always enjoyable to be a part of a simhah and see the joyous faces of my cousin, his wife, and the new grandparents. But it was the reaction from my grandparents who were welcoming their second great grandchild into the family that really made this day special. Their happiness, their joy at being able to reach this occasion of having multiple great-grandchildren was palpable. It reinforced for me the notion that as we get older we become more appreciative of every moment we have and especially of every simhah we enjoy. Life becomes an experience to cherish as the gift that it is. So thank[...]
Category : Ari-archive Tag : gift life mommom poppop rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat shabbat by the sea shehehiyanu שהחיינו
June 11, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
One of the joys of being in Perth Amboy is living near the Raritan Bay. Years ago the beaches of Sadowsky Parkway were lined by sun-bathers and sand-castle builders -- it was the Jersey shore before the Jersey shore. Yet even though the tourists may have left, the breathtaking views and the pleasant environment remain. Yes, living by the Raritan Bay here in Perth Amboy is a joy, and you can feel that joy at its apex when we gather in Bayview Park for Shabbat by the Sea.
Shabbat by the Sea, especially by this sea, affords us an opportunity to return to the roots of the Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat service, when Jews would leave their little shtibels and go out in the fields to[...]
Category : Ari-archive Tag : awesome jersey shore nature perth amboy rabbi rabbi's journal raritan bay sanctuary shabbat by the sea splendor
June 10, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Over the past few years, our congregation has made some great strides in building the bonds and relationships that form the foundation of our tight knit Jewish Home for the Soul. Yet, as it has often been mentioned, if we're going to continue to thrive then we need to grow as a congregation. If we're going to continue to prosper, then we need to reach out to attract more people to be a part of our congregation.
So what does our approach to outreach look like? It looks like what's happening this week...
This past Saturday morning, we welcomed the Levy family, who are affiliated with Cantor Avima Darnov's hebrew school called "The Hebrew Corner," and their guests into our sanctuary[...]
Category : Ari-archive Tag : bar and bat mitzvah big tent judaism Cantorial Showcase hebrew corner Jewish Federation jewish outreach institute joi outreach rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat by the sea unaffiliated young people
August 15, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
This is what community is all about...
After a wildly successful Shabbat by the Sea this past Friday night, we still managed to make a minyan the next day on Saturday, something that would have been very unlikely not so long ago.
This is what community is all about...
Last night 16 people got together at the schul for a weekday evening service so a member could say Kaddish on the day of her father's actual yahrtzeit. Through phone calls made by Sherry Weber and the Caring Committee, and through our other outreach efforts especially through Facebook, we showed how our community can come together at a moment's notice.
This is what community is all about...
Earlier in the day a handful of volunteers[...]
Category : Ari-archive Caring Committee Tag : alan roy caring committee community minyan rabbi rabbi's journal rubber duck race shabbat by the sea Sherry Weber
August 13, 2013 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Wow, what an incredible Shabbat. The music, the dancing, the spirit, the views by the bay, the delicious food...everything about Shabbat by the Sea this past Friday was amazing! With nearly 60 people at our unique service and over 40 people at our community dinner, it was a highlight event for our Jewish Home for the Soul.
Check out this link for some pre-Shabbat pictures from Shabbat by the Sea!
Yet the moment that really did it for me, the moment in which I knew we really hit on something, the moment in which I knew what we did was "soulful," was when Alan Siegel mentioned to me that "it wasn't just fun, it was also meaningful."
That comment, more than[...]
Category : Ari-archive Tag : dancing holidays meaning rabbi rabbi's journal rubber duck race shabbat by the sea soul soulfulness trips