We are excited to announce that we are back and to invite you to attend Women of Beth Israel's inaugural Rosh Chodesh celebration.  This one-hour program will be led by Rabbi Lenore Bohm, and will be a combination of learning about Rosh Chodesh and an opportunity to connect with other women.   Rosh Chodesh refers to the new month and coincides with the appearance of the tiniest sliver of the new moon approximately every 30 days.  For millennia, Jewish women have…

Women of Beth Israel invites you to join Rabbi Cantor Arlene Bernstein and Caring Community Coordinator Katey Lindley as we all learn together virtually about the significance of the Rosh Chodesh holiday, with reference to our current month of Sivan. This is a time when we are approaching the Torah’s birthday, Shavuot, and are anticipating the acceptance and receiving associated with that holiday, and also with our current circumstances of social isolation. If you would like to explore more before…

Women of Beth Israel invites you to join special guest, educator and Rosh Chodesh leader,Jessica Kretzer, as we celebrate Rosh Chodesh Tammuz.  In this session, participants will reflect on how their various roles and identities (e.g. parent, child, musician, employee, friend) have been affected by the pandemic. We will identify the roles that we are still inhabiting and have the opportunity to grieve the roles that we cannot play right now.  We encourage you to have a candle and a comforting drink on…

Please join us for a transformative Rosh Chodesh (online) gathering to workshop the themes of collective brokenness, loss, and the possibility of transformation, centered on the upcoming holiday of Tisha B'Av. This holiday, the ninth day of the month of Av, commemorates the destruction of the First Temple by Babylon in 586 BCE and the Second Temple by Rome in 70 CE, the beginning of exile for the Jewish people, and other calamities - mythical, mystical, and historical.  Rosh Chodesh…

The month of Elul brings us into a time of spiritual preparation for the coming year and the upcoming High Holy Days in Tishrei. It is during this month that one begins that process of teshuvah (turning or changing our ways). During our Rosh Chodesh ceremony, we will reflect on some of the traditions which are associated with the month of Elul and explore how we can bring these traditions, or create or own as we usher in this new…

The first Jewish cookbook published in America was Esther Levy's Jewish Cookery Book, published in 1871. Since then, Jewish cookbooks have played a central role in American Jewish life - helping to preserve and pass down traditions, and also (gently) push the boundaries of what Jewish cuisine can and should taste like. In this talk, acclaimed cookbook author Leah Koenig (Modern Jewish Cooking, The Jewish Cookbook), will explore the history of the cookbook in American Jewish kitchens, and examine how…

When was the last time you felt fully present? What are you thankful for in your daily life? This month, we will gather together and raise awareness of the importance and benefits of being fully present in our lives. We will carve out time to appreciate the here and now as Educator and Rosh Chodesh leader Jessica Kretzer teaches us what guidance Jewish tradition offers us on this topic. Please bring a candle to light and a glass of wine, a cup of tea,…

Women of Beth Israel invites you to celebrate Rosh Chodesh Kislev. Rosh Chodesh Kislev is often represented by women activating their power. With this in mind, we wanted to explore how women could take power in their own health and wellness journies. This event will feature meditation as well as a women's health panel exploring the topics of breast cancer screening, breast health, and osteoporosis. Our panelists are medical professionals from our Beth Israel community, Haydee Ojeda-Fournier, MD, Sarah L…

In North African countries, the seventh night of Chanukah was called "Chag HaBanot,"  which means, "Holiday of Daughters."  Rabbi Lenore Bohm will lead our celebration, in which we will honor our daughters and granddaughters, our mothers and grandmothers.  The Chanukiyah looks so beautiful and nearly full on Rosh Chodesh Tevet.  Let's honor the passionate women who kept Judaism alive for centuries, and give thanks that we have inherited wisdom, courage and spirit from the women of our own family trees. As…

Katey Lindley, Director of Caring Community, returns to Women of Beth Israel’s Rosh Chodesh for the month of Shvat.  Join us as, together, we explore a few significant moments in biblical history as they relate to the Month of Shvat and discover how those events are relevant in our lives today.  We will start with the first of the month and Moses’ translation of the Torah and conclude with Tu B’Shvat, a celebration of nature. Please bring a candle to light and…

Nisan is the first month of the Jewish calendar. On Rosh Chodesh Nisan we honor Miriam haNevia, Miriam the Prophetess, who died on this day. We honor Miriam with music, singing, and dancing. We honor her with stories; we honor her with poetry. (source) Please join the Women of Beth Israel as we honor Miriam and prepare for Passover with our Rosh Chodesh Nisan celebration.  Presentations include: Searching for the Chametz (bedikat chametz), Cooking Demonstrations, Passover Music, and the Passover Seder from a Women’s perspective. Passover…

Happy Anniversary!!! Iyar is the one-year anniversary of our Rosh Chodesh events.  To celebrate, we are honored to welcome Rose Orlovich who will be leading us in the topic of Elevating the Everyday Moments. Rose Orlovich is the Director of Education at Beth Israel. She moved to San Diego after getting her second master's degree in education and she strives to keep Jewish values at the core of her lessons each time she teaches. Rose looks forward to getting to know more families…

We are so excited that Dr. Sarah Gimbel will be leading our next Rosh Chodesh event! Dr. Sarah Gimbel is a neuroscientist with a background in the fields of memory and the brain bases of changing one's beliefs in the presence of counterevidence. She is currently a research scientist at the Balboa Naval Hospital, studying Traumatic Brain Injury in service members. As a San Diego native, Sarah has deep ties to the Beth Israel community and enjoys interweaving her loves…