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!
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
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
November 15, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, Psalm 31:13 נשכחתי כמת מלב הייתי ככלי אבד I am put out of mind like the dead; I am like an object given up for lost The sad news of the sudden passing of Cantor David Lavine z"l is a reminder to me of the gift and tenuousness of life. Over the past couple of months, I spent a good time with Cantor Lavine preparing for the holidays, and though our relationship was a professional one, he was a big part of my life for my first few months at Beth Mordecai. I would call him often, to plan our meetings in New York, discuss innovative ideas for services (we used some of his brainstorms in our service), and to practice the[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : cantor david lavine cantor david levine death memories rabbi rabbi's journal relationships Reverend Anne-Marie Jeffery St. Peter's Episcopal Church thanksgiving
August 13, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, It's been a long weekend and a long Monday, but the days (and nights) have been full of blessing and productivity. It began on Friday with uplifting and well-attended services at Shabbat by the Sea which was followed by a delicious dinner and even better conversation. Saturday services were also very nice, though we did not get a minyan after the strong attendance on Friday night. Hopefully we can have a strong minyan next Saturday morning as Rachel and I will sponsor a kiddush lunch for the community to honor our 6th wedding anniversary! Sunday was an incredible whirlwind which started by converting a woman to Judaism after I've been working with her every week for ten months. She[...]
Category : Ari-archive Tag : days long rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat by the sea whirlwind
July 16, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
Friday was a special night for me. Not only did it mark the first program I organized as your rabbi (with immeasurable help from many members of our community), but it also marked the moment I realized just how lucky I am to be your rabbi. There I was, standing in front of a hevreh of 40+ people, as Rabbi Zalma put her arms on my shoulders to bless me and bless our congregation with a bright future. Thinking back on that moment, I can't help but think...
How lucky am I to have a colleague and friend who would give me such a blessing as she says goodbye to a congregation she's called home for the past six years.
How lucky[...]
Category : Ari-archive Tag : blessing gratitude Melinda Zalma rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat shabbat by the sea
July 13, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, In these few hours before Shabbat begins, I just want to leave us with a few blessings wherever we find ourselves this Shabbat... May this Shabbat be one of peace... May this Shabbat be one of understanding and forgiving... May this Shabbat be one of rediscovering our passions and loves... May this Shabbat be one of trying something new... May this Shabbat fill us with joy, love and appreciation for the beauty of life... Have a wonderful Shabbat. Kol Tuv, Rabbi Ari Saks P.S. can't wait to see those of us who come to Shabbat by the Sea!
Category : Ari-archive Tag : peace rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat shabbat by the sea
July 12, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, I'm sitting here in my office, practicing my reading for the Torah portion for this week (Parashat Pinhas), and I'm struck by a story that relates to something I was thinking about at the Board of Trustees meeting last night. We were talking last night about finding volunteers for the High Holidays, and during that discussion I wondered...how do we motivate people to give up their precious free time and commit to helping our community? I had a suspicion of what my answer was (and to be truthful, I've thought a lot about it over the years), and that suspicion was confirmed tonight while practicing the Torah reading: Motivation comes from feeling like we matter. In this week's Torah portion, the[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Tag : Board Meeting high holidays motivation pinhas rabbi rabbi's journal volunteer פנחס
July 11, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, As I mentioned yesterday, I spent the day in New York City meeting with Cantor Levine, members, and mentors. It was a whirlwind day of stories, advice, and information, but I left feeling one word...invigorated. In other words, it was one of those days when you don't feel as tired as you do on other days, because you know you did something worthwhile, meaningful, and interesting. Here are a couple of the snippets I learned that I posted throughout the day on Twitter via #PerthAmboyShul: From Cheryl August whose family has been affiliated with Beth Mordecai for generations: No matter where she is, whether it's Italy or New York City, Temple Beth Mordecai is her spiritual home From Karen Klein whose[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : #perthamboyshul barry dov schwartz cantor david levine cheryl august community elliot cosgrove high holidays karen klein rabbi rabbi's journal
July 10, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, I am very excited because I am on my way to New York City today! It'll be nice to step out onto the streets I called home for over a decade, but more than anything else, this trip is about a threefold commitment I am making to our community: 1) PROVIDING MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES - This morning I will be meeting with Cantor Levine to start working on High Holiday services that are meaningful, spiritual, and relevant to our Jewish community. These are the kinds of activities that get me very excited and I look forward to being part of a team (which can include all of you!) to provide high quality spiritual experiences. I am psyched for the High Holidays[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Tag : community high holidays meaning meaningful experiences new york one on one rabbi rabbi's journal wisdom
July 7, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, (Note: this email is a little longer) First, I wanted to thank everyone for a beautiful, warm, and exciting Shabbat. It was a pleasure meeting new people, hearing and telling stories, teaching Torah, and worshipping together. I look forward to many more Shabbatot together. Still, shul is not the only place to celebrate the restfulness of Shabbat. If you were not in shul, I would love to hear how you spent Shabbat, and if you are OK with it I'd love to pass it on to the rest of the community as part of creating a virtual space for communal conversations. Along those lines, you might have noticed that at the end of my last email on Friday, I wrote below my[...]
Category : Ari-archive Tag : online rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat shabbat by the sea social media Twitter