April 2021
Volunteer at Rachel’s Women’s Center
Rachel’s Women's Center provides overnight, emergency, short/midterm, safe and sober shelter for homeless women. Beth Israel is one of many organizations that brings and serves dinner to 32 women at Rachel's House. Beth Israel members and their family/friends have been involved with this project for over 20 years. Our goal is to ensure there are enough human resources on the second Sunday of every other month (and also Christmas night) to nourish the current residents of the day center and shelter, so…
Find out more »Women of Beth Israel: Rosh Chodesh Iyar
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…
Find out more »Shavua Tov Cafe
Start your week off on a positive note. Join Katey Lindley, Director of Caring Community, every Monday morning at 9:00 am on Zoom with your favorite morning wake-up beverage, as we explore Jewish quotes, humor and blessings. What could be bad? No fee, but please RSVP for planning purposes. RSVP just once to receive the Zoom link and password.
Find out more »Men’s Club Discussion Group
The purpose of the Men's Discussion Group is to create a forum for men who are members of Beth Israel to virtually meet together, enjoy camaraderie and to discuss relevant issues. Participation is not limited to Beth Israel members. There is no fee, but please RSVP for planning purposes and the Zoom link will be sent to you.
Find out more »Virtual Travel Adventure to Israel
Are you itching to travel? Looking for a change of scenery? Let’s go to Israel… virtually! Explore places you’ve never seen in Israel from the comfort of your own home while supporting Israel’s tourism industry! From the lush forests of the upper Galilee to the bustling sidewalks of Tel Aviv… From the vibrant innovation centers of the Negev Desert to the holy and ancient sites in Jerusalem… let Jewish National Fund take you to the frontiers of Israel’s northern and…
Find out more »Young Family Havdalah
Join our Rabbis for a musical morning filled with song and prayer. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Tuesdays 2021, 10-10:30 am: January 5, 12, 19, 26 February 2, 9, 16, 23 March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 April 6, 13, 20, 27 May 4, 11, 18, 25 June 1 Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqdumqrDopHdxVb_KD2RCPkfEFHa13S6vO Zoom ID: 857 1022 1378; Password: havdalah
Find out more »The “Jewish American Princess” on Screen: From Stereotype to Role-Model
Join us for a three part series with Dr. Julia Wagner, live from the UK, as we examine the evolution of the "Jewish American Princess" character-type in film and television, from its misogynistic origins to unlikely heroines. Dr. Wagner will draw together the themes of the three lectures outlined below to ask how Jewish women on screen can assert their independence and effect social change. How do the characters portray female power, money and privilege, duty and loyalty, personal responsibility…
Find out more »Morning Mindfulness with Julie Potiker
Wednesdays mornings from 10:00-10:45 am Give yourself the gift of calm. Join Julie Potiker for this grounding way to start the day and move from a place of fear to a place of calm. In these forty-five-minute mindfulness sessions, you will experience bringing your attention to the present moment without judgment. For past sessions, visit: https://blubrry.com/balancedmind/ About Julie: Julie Potiker is a mindfulness expert with extensive teacher training in a variety of tools and methods, including Mindful Self-Compassion. Through her…
Find out more »Jewish History through Film: American Jewish Women Directors from Joan Micklin-Silver to Jill Soloway
Wednesdays, March 31, April 7, and April 14, 2021 @ 6:30 pm-8:00 pm Although Jewish women have always been part of making American films as actresses and screenwriters, their entry into the ranks of directors has been slow. Several notable Jewish female directors emerged on the scene in the 1970s who brought both a Jewish and feminist perspective to their films. This lecture will profile these directors starting with the pioneers Joan Micklin-Silver (Hester Street and Crossing Delancey), Claudia Weil…
Find out more »The Passion, The Beauty, The Heartbreak: Israel Through Poetry and Music
Born in Israel to American parents, Danny Maseng first came to the United States to star on Broadway in 'Only Fools Are Sad.' A playwright, actor, singer and composer, Danny has served as Evaluator of New American Plays/Opera-Musical Theater for the National Endowment for the Arts, as the Director of the Spielberg Fellowships for the FJC, as Spiritual Leader of URJ congregation Agudas Achim in NY and as Cantor of Temple Israel of Hollywood in California. Danny is most excited to now…
Find out more »DayTimers Speaker Series: Gail Gaspar “Carrying My Father’s Torch: From Holocaust Trauma to Transformation”
Finding your place in a family tree that has only one branch, the other shorn by the Holocaust, is a tricky business. Gail Weiss Gaspar grew up believing that her worth was tied to busyness and productivity, with achievement and education prized above all other accomplishments. Keenly aware that her beloved father survived Auschwitz and the brutal environment of the Mauthausen labor camp, she silenced her suffering because nothing could match what he endured. Gail’s family had secrets, as all…
Find out more »Adult Evening Book Club
Monthly, usually on the 3rd Thursdays, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. on Zoom. No fee. See below for the scheduled meeting dates and books being read. New members are always welcome, and no reservation is required. Most book club selections are available in libraries or through online booksellers used or in paperback. September 17, 2020: Racing Against History - with author Rick Richman attending and facilitated by Arnie Gass. October 15, 2020: Perfidy by Ben Hecht- facilitated by Catherine Hand. November…
Find out more »Preschool Shabbat
Start your Shabbat with your family, our Beth Israel Clergy, Cathy, and your preschool friends. We will sing, hear a story, and do the Shabbat prayers together. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Fridays, 10:00 - 10:30 am (Zoom Shabbat, recurring weekly) in 2021 Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29 Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26 March 5, 12, 19, 26 April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 May 7, 14, 21, 28 Register in…
Find out more »Young Family Shabbat
Join us for another Young Family Shabbat Service led by our rabbis. We'll sing, pray, and hear a story. We know your lives are busy and the timing of every day changes. That's why some of these will be live, and others will be pre-recorded so you can participate when it works for your family. Watch it on our YouTube HERE.
Find out more »Virtual Erev Shabbat Services
Welcome Shabbat with this inspirational service open to all All our services will be ONLINE only until further notice. Watch the pre-recorded Shabbat services HERE (recorded earlier in the week). Access an online Siddur for Shabbat here. .
Find out more »Introduction to Judaism: Fundamentals of Belief and Practice
All sessions are held virtually on Zoom until future notice. Thursdays, October 15, 2020 – April 8, 2021 (no class Nov. 5, Nov. 26, Dec. 10, Dec. 24, Dec. 31, 2020 / Feb. 25, 2021) 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., except as noted. (Friday, February 5, 2021, Learners Shabbat service at 6:15 p.m. Friday, April 16, 2021, Graduation Shabbat service at 6:15 p.m.) Instructors: Beth Israel Rabbis Fee: Beth Israel members $225 per individual, $250 per couple*; Nonmembers $275 per individual,…
Find out more »Shabbat Morning Torah Study
Torah Study has moved to online only with the new time of 9:00 a.m.. You can connect via your computer or telephone. You will need to register just once for all future sessions: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/uJcqc-GhqzIswQYDIgFGeKY4EgkXp7tauA After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Come occasionally or come every week. These eclectic and lively discussions about the week’s Torah portion consider the text through traditional and modern commentaries, as well as through the lenses of history,…
Find out more »Virtual Shabbat Lay Led Service
An informal service, open to all, featuring prayer, singing and Torah discussion in a relaxed and friendly setting. For the Zoom link, please contact Gordon Glenn at gaglenn@prodigy.net to be added to the Lay Led Service list. For those who do not have your own Mishkan Ti’filah for Shabbat, you can get a Kindle version for $4.99 at the following link: Amazon/Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Mishkan-Tfilah-Shabbat-Reform-Siddur-ebook/dp/B016R0HSLU/ref=sr_1_2 If you have an iPad or iPhone, you can download a Kindle App from the iTunes Store and…
Find out more »J2 Event
Save the date! Great things coming soon!
Find out more »The Preservation of Jewish Monuments in Eastern Europe
Seventy-five years after the Holocaust, and thirty years after the fall of Communism, how is the Jewish past being preserved and presented in Eastern Europe? In these three illustrated lectures Dr. Samuel Gruber reviews efforts in Eastern Europe by government and private agencies, institutions, and organizations to document, protect, conserve, and maintain Jewish historic and religious sites, especially synagogues, cemeteries, and Holocaust-related sites. In the decades since the fall of the Iron Curtain, the quantity and quality of this work…
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