Lech L’cha – Setting Off On a New Journey
01/26/2023 10:08:45 AM
Dear friends,
Some of you may have noticed my absence the last couple of weeks. I have been taking time to rest and cater to my mental and emotional wellbeing. Taking this time has led me to hear the words that our patriarch Abraham once heard as well – lech l’cha. Go forth.
It is with mixed emotions that I share with you all that I will be stepping down from my role as Executive Director of Congregation Beth...Read more...
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
11/14/2022 01:38:34 PM
Hungry? Craving new friends, new gastronomic delights and a whole lot of fun? Well, then you’ve come to the right place!
CBE’s new Food & Cooking Chavura, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” is starting the new year off with just what your creativity, spatulas and...Read more...
High Holiday Sermons 5783
10/17/2022 09:42:45 AM
CBE Religious School Students Raise Money for Ukrainian Civilian Aide
05/31/2022 11:01:54 AM
CBE 3rd and 4th graders concluded their year learning about the concept of "Shalom." To exemplify the Jewish value of peace, students brainstormed, organized, and executed the first-ever "Seeds and Lemonade Stand for Peace." Students made wildflower seed packets and...Read more...
Scholar In Residence Judi Winnick
04/17/2022 10:00:06 AM
CBE is honored to welcome Judy Winnick as our 2022 Ellen Diesenhof Scholar-in-Residence. Judy will make three appearances at the synagogue. All are free and open to the public.
Judy will present her one-woman show as Miep Gies to religious school...Read more...
Writer's Block and Me
04/03/2022 10:01:11 AM
About three weeks ago, Elizabeth sent me a reminder about the due date for this article. I have plenty of time, I thought - and there I was, about three weeks later, at dinner in Ojai, CA with my mom and her friend, Robyn - on the due day – stressing over the still blank page on my computer screen.
Earlier that day, I googled “president messages in synagogue newsletters” and in .54 seconds, received about 1,780,000...Read more...
Midah of the Month of April: Emet/Truth
04/01/2022 10:00:02 AM
Among the many lessons to learn from the Passover story as it relates to Koach hadibur and Emet, is the strength and value of sincere communication, dialog and debate, sharing personal “truths and understandings for the purpose of growing our...Read more...
What Is Life Asking You To Grow?
03/20/2022 10:00:24 AM
At a recent Thursday afternoon Mussar class towards the beginning of the first month of Adar, we found ourselves reflecting on where in our lives we feel a sense of scarcity and were then invited to give from that place. I had to think about this.
In the dance of the Sun and Moon above us, we have passed through the darkness of the longest night and are now nearing the Spring Equinox. I use this period of time as an opportunity...Read more...
Where do you find joy?
03/06/2022 10:00:17 AM
I went looking for a psalm, a song of gratitude and joy suited for the season. A favorite ‘focus phrase’ or mantra came to mind: Ivdu et hashem b’simchah – which the Baal Shem Tov translates as “laughter and joy are themselves acts of divine service.” I flipped through the pages (yes, I still prefer to flip pages rather than scroll through screens) of the Hebrew Bible [Tanakh] to find the verse but my eyes landed on...Read more...