Israel Programing Adult Education

Here at Beth El, we continue to respond to the community’s needs and so offer the following programs:

Understanding the Current Situation in Israel and How We Can Help
With participants of Beth El’s February Volunteer and Solidarity Mission
Thursday, March 7 from 7:30-9:00pm

In early February, 18 volunteers from Beth El participated in a week-long mission to support and bear witness to Israel’s situation following the horrors of October 7th.  Please join us as trip members, along with Rabbis Londy and Jaffe, to discuss and show a presentation on all they experienced in Israel.  We will also discuss the best ways to support or Israeli brethren, both from near and afar. 

Join us for in-person at Beth El or watch the live-stream on our website here.

Shabbat Worship Service featuring Israeli Rabbi Benny Minich
Friday, March 8 at 7:15 pm

We are delighted to welcome Rabbi Benny Minich from Israel to speak at our March 8th Kabbalat Shabbat Service.  Rabbi Minich served as our Israeli rabbinic intern several years ago and now leads the Beit Daniel congregation in Jaffa and works at the Daniel Centers for Progressive Judaism in Tel Aviv.  He was born in 1987, in Kerch, Crimea.  In 2002, at the age of 15, Rabbi Minich made Aliyah to Israel.   He is a proud member of the Israeli Council of Progressive Rabbis and volunteers as a member of Limmud FSU Israel's organizational committee and as a member of the board of Crimean Jews Association in Israel.

Coordinating Israel’s Support and Release Effort
with Gila Rockman of the Ariel Center for Evacuated Children and Jerusalem Civil Command Center
Sunday, March 10 from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

Join Rabbi Londy and members of our Israel Solidarity trip in welcoming Gila Rockman, who will be sharing the story of Israeli citizens’ response to October 7th. 

Gila co founded the JCCC (Jerusalem Civil Command Center) after the Oct. 7 attack to provide logistical, fiscal, and physical support for affected families. She lead the fundraising team and managed to raise 15 million shekel to help soldiers and civilians with the immediate needs of the war.

Now, with allocated land from the Israeli Government, Gila is moving on to her next endeavor, The Ariel Center, a state-of-the-art healing center for children, teens, young adults and soldiers traumatized by the attack.

The day after is now. Gila's mission is healing our traumatized nation and empowering our soldiers and civilians, helping them strengthen their resilience and preventing PTSD. 

The Ariel Center will be built in memory of Gila's brother - Ariel Goldsmith, who died tragically in 2020. Ariel lived with the belief that everyone has the ability to overcome their hardships with the skills they already have within them, and The Ariel Center will emulate these values Ariel lived by.

Previous Programs:

Live Zoom Tour from Israel of Jerusalem Civilian Command Center (JCCC)
With Rabbis Jaffe and Londy and their friends, JCCC’s Rani Jaeger and Michael Barko
Thursday, October 26, 12:00 pm

The Jerusalem Civilian Command Center has taken in hundreds of refugees and survivors from the towns surrounding Gaza, to provide adequate housing and support.  Our friends Rani and Michael, both of whom volunteer with the JCCC, will provide a live tour and interactions with staff and survivors on the ground.  Please join us, both to demonstrate support and to bear witness to the situation on the ground.

Click here to join us on Zoom
Password has been sent in the email Israel Programming Updates and Resources 

Jewish Identity with Rabbi Leora Londy: A Two Part Series
Recent events in Israel and the rise of antisemitism here at home have prompted us to re-engage and rediscover our own sense of Jewish identity.  Join Rabbi Londy in raising fundamental yet often overlooked questions of Jewish identity and observance. 

Sunday, October 29 at 9:15 am   

Let’s start with, why?  Why be Jewish?  And how do we hold our multifaceted identities?  We will discuss and grapple with the ideas of peoplehood, chosenness, and mitzvah and God. Click here to register for this program
Breakfast will be provided and sponsored by the Resnick Fund.

Sunday, November 5 at 9:15 am

How do we practice our Judaism today? What is the role of mitzvah/commandment in how we relate to our Jewish selves and engage with our ancient tradition?  We will discuss the origin of commandment, the connection between autonomy and spiritual belief and touch upon the surface on questions of God and belief.
Click here to register for this program
Breakfast will be provided and sponsored by the Resnick Fund.

Supporting One Another Through Stress and Anxiety
With WJCS’ Ellen Weisberg, M.Ed, LMSW and Cantor Sternlieb
Thursday, November 2 and November 9 at 12:00 pm

With horrifying news and images out of Israel and growing antisemitism at home and around the world, it is natural for many of us to experience feelings of anxiety, depression and stress.  We are thankful to call upon Westchester Jewish Community Services’ Ellen Weisberg, along with our own Cantor Sternlieb, to provide a safe and supportive space to discuss our emotions and what we are going through.  We will begin with these two sessions and figure out our next steps from there.  Should you be feeling isolated or saddened by the current state of the world, please join us in this welcoming environment.

Click here to register for this program

The History of Israel and Its Borders
With Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe
Sunday, November 5 at 11:30 am

As many of us struggle to understand the movement of the Jewish people and our connection to the land of Israel, Rabbi Jaffe will lead this overview of the land of Israel, the people who have inhabited it over the centuries, and the unsevered Jewish connection to the land.

Special Guest Speaker on Promoting Zionism in the Progressive Community: Amanda Berman, Founder and CEO of ZionessMonday, November 6 at 6:45 pm

As we witness the increasingly hostile environment faced by Jewish students on campus and young adults in progressive circles, we are thrilled to welcome one of the most important voices in this arena, Amanda Berman of Zioness.  Our entire teen community and their parents are invited, along with the larger congregation.  If you are concerned about the progressive left's attitude towards Israel, Ms. Berman is not to be missed.  Zioness advocates for the inclusion of Jewish and Zionist voices within progressive spaces. The grassroots organization fights for the advancement of social, racial, economic and gender equality in America and for the inclusion of Zionists in the social justice movement.  Ms. Berman will speak about the events of the last few weeks and how we can advocate for Zionism within progressive spaces. 

TBE Book Club:
Yossi Klein HaLevi’s “Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor”
With Rabbis Jaffe and Londy
Saturday, December 2 at 12:00 pm

As many of us struggle for information and perspective on the Israeli-Arab conflict, we are offering a congregation-wide book club and discussion of Yossi Klein HaLevi’s readable, accessible and highly informative book.  Please join us for a lunchtime discussion on with Rabbis Jaffe and Londy. 

Click here to register for this program
Lunch will be provided and sponsored by the Resnick Fund.

Understanding the Impact of October 7th Through Israeli Poetry
with Dr. Rachel Korazim
Sunday, December 3 at 2:30 pm

Click here to join us on Zoom

The horrors of Hamas’ attack upon Israeli civilians on October 7th goes beyond words.  As Israelis have grappled with the overwhelming sorrow of the day, as well as its toll upon every day citizens, a new generation of Israeli poets are attempting to capture the moment.  We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Rachel Korazim of the Shalom Hartman Institute and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) Department of Education.  Rachel has made several visits to Temple Beth El and will be coming to us live from Israel.

Born in Israel, Rachel served in the IDF as an officer in the central training base for women and was later a member of the IDF delegation to Niger. She is a graduate of Haifa University with a PhD in Jewish education. Rachel has taught widely throughout Israel and North America on modern Israeli literature and its connections to the bible, the Holocaust and modern Zionism.  She will teach in conversation with Rabbi Jaffe.