B’nai Israel is sponsoring a Blood Drive on Monday, August 1st from 3 – 9 pm. Please sign up for a time that’s convenient for you. There is always a shortage of blood during the summer months and the blood banks are always in dire need of donors. Your donation now is critically important. Please consider donating if you are at least 16 yrears old and have not given blood within the last 56 days. There are pamphlets available to answer any questions or concerns you might have. The rules have changed over the years, so what might have been a reason not go give blood in the past, may no longer apply. The pamphet covers temporary reasons why you are ineligible to give blood along with length of time before you can again donate, as well as permanent reasons.
Did you know that one in three people will need blood sometime during their lives?; close to 2,000 men, women and children in our community, including cancer, transplant and surgery patients, trauma victims, newborn babies and many others need blood transfusion each day? that blood lasts only 42 days?
Tags:At the Temple·Community·Donations·Social Action
B’nai Israel and the Donations Committee are proud to announce the new Donor Wall named In Loving Tribute has been growing thanks to your contributions!
Our newest Donor Wall
Tags:Announcement·Donations
September 10th, 2010 by Jeannette Berman · Holidays, Jewish Living
Why fast on Yom Kippur?
Spiritual elevation is a pre-requisite for true repentance. One way to achieve spiritual elevation is to abstain from the physical. Five physical activities are forbidden on Yom Kippur:
- eating and drinking
- marital relations
- washing
- wearing leather shoes
- applying lotions
What are the best ways to prepare for the Yom Kippur fast?
While feeling hunger pains is an acceptable part of the fast experience, one need not dehydrate, faint or get sick while fasting. There are several ways to prepare oneself physically for a healthy fast.
- Days before the fast, caffeine intake should be minimized.
- The day before the fast, eat something small every two hours, avoid caffeine and salt, and drink as much water as possible.
- Plan the final meal before the fast early enough in the afternoon to avoid rushing to finish before the fast begins.
- Plan the menu of this final meal so that it contains high carbohydrate and low salt foods.
- Do not eat too much in the meal before the fast, but drink plenty of water.
- Leave time after the meal to drink warm water with sugar and brush teeth.
for more information visit About.com
Tags:High Holy Days·Holidays
This article I found on the Reform Judaism Magazine website by Russ Levine gave some great insight as to why we perform the ritual of Tashlich. Check it out and post a comment about your thoughts on the subject.
Tags:Ritual·Spirituality
September 8th, 2010 by Jeannette Berman · Holidays
A special wish that Rosh Hashanah
be the start of a happy new year for you.
A year which will bring you good health
and joy the whole year through.
Tags:High Holy Days
September 8th, 2010 by Jeannette Berman · At The Temple
Next time you come to Temple, please check out our new bulletin board in the Lobby. It is located in the hallway right before the coat closet. We will be posting information about upcoming events, the Temple calendar, directory, and more!
Let us know what you think…
Tags:Announcement
September 4th, 2010 by Jeannette Berman · Holidays
I look forward to seeing you at the S’lichot Service tonight.
from the URJ Website
S’lichot, a Hebrew word meaning “forgiveness,” refers to the special penitential prayers recited by Jews throughout the High Holy Days. Jews recite S’lichot beginning late at night on the Saturday before Rosh HaShanah and continue each morning on the days between the New Year and Yom Kippur.
URJ Website S’lichot Page
Tags:High Holy Days·Holidays
September 4th, 2010 by Jeannette Berman · Community
As I sit and enjoy the beautiful sunshine after the small rainshower that was Hurricane Earl, I thought what better time could there be to organize all of my projects and tasks lists. It just happens to also be Labor Day weekend, so I have an extra day to do this! One of those projects is to post more information on this blog regarding upcoming events and “happenings” at the Temple. What else would you like to see in this blog?
Post a comment, be the first…start a trend 
Tags:Blog·Communication
September 4th, 2010 by Jeannette Berman · Holidays, Jewish Living
What do you do to prepare for the High Holy Days? Do you have any family traditions that go along with celebrating the new Jewish Year? Maybe it is coming to services, throwing bread into the water for Tashlich, or having a meal with family and friends. Post a comment and let us know what you do to prepare for the High Holy Days and the new year 5771.
Tags:High Holy Days·Holidays
Jewish rituals and religious observances are grounded in Jewish law (halakhah, lit. “the path one walks.”) An elaborate framework of
divine mitzvot, or commandments, combined with rabbinic laws and traditions, this law is central to Judaism. (http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/practices.htm)
Most of us are familiar with some of the traditional rituals of our
religion. Some of them are very close to my heart and others seem
foreign. For example, I love the ritual Seder of Passover. I always
find a new sense of community every time I join Rabbi and our
congregation at the temple Seder. I am not as familiar with rituals
such as keeping kosher in my home. There are less formal rituals that
I practice every day that help me to feel close to G-d. When I wake
up, I thank G-d for the morning, and when I leave my house, I pray for
my loved ones to have a safe and happy day. I greet the sun, rain, or
snow with a warm thank you to G-d as well. By repeating these same
actions every day, I have created a ritual. As we begin to create a
ritual committee, I would like to know what some of your rituals are.
Are there things that your family does on Shabbat that have become
ritual? Do you have special rituals for any of the holidays? Do you
perform a daily ritual that renews your a special connection with G-d?
By sharing our personal rituals, perhaps we could each find a new way
to connect with G-d!
Tags:Judaism·Ritual·Shabbat
B’nai Israel is sponsoring a Blood Drive on Monday, August 1st from 3 – 9 pm. Please sign up for a time that’s convenient for you. There is always a shortage of blood during the summer months and the blood banks are always in dire need of donors. Your donation now is critically important. Please consider donating if you are at least 16 yrears old and have not given blood within the last 56 days. There are pamphlets available to answer any questions or concerns you might have. The rules have changed over the years, so what might have been a reason not go give blood in the past, may no longer apply. The pamphet covers temporary reasons why you are ineligible to give blood along with length of time before you can again donate, as well as permanent reasons. 