Beth Israel Congregation - Bath Maine

Don’t forget, Day 2 is a Nature Walk Service in Bath. Our community will not be in the synagogue. Pull out a little back pack for snacks and check your weekly email for details.

🍯🍎 To all in our community celebrating Rosh Hashanah, your Main Street wishes you a sweet new year!

To those familiar with your Main Street Bath office, you know ideally one of those honey bears would be much taller than the other. If you aren't familiar, stop by the Main Street Bath Station at 9 Centre Street during Autumnfest to find out! https://visitbath.com/autumnfest

👞 One of the blurred buildings in the background is the former Morris Povich apparel and shoe store, one of the earliest and longest-established Jewish-run businesses in Bath. Do you recognize which one it is? To learn more about Bath's Jewish merchant history visit https://www.bathjewishhistory.org/bah-merchants.

Bridge the past and the future with Beth Israel in synagogue this morning and at the Minnie Brown Center for potluck lunch, along the river for Tashlich, and/or Family Service this afternoon.

Your link to the full High Holiday schedule is here: https://www.bethisraelbath.org/high-holidays-5785.

Beth Israel families, our neighbors at the Chocolate Church Arts Center invite you to share some Shabbat time with Singer-Songwriter-Storyteller Mr G!

Join us for an unforgettable experience as we welcome Latin Grammy-Winner, Mister G, to CCAC this Saturday at 3 PM! This family-friendly event promises a joyous celebration of diversity through music. Don't miss out on our special Buy One Get One sale, allowing everyone to be a part of this heartwarming multicultural concert. Let's come together to celebrate our unique identities and shared connections!

Get your tickets today at: https://app.opendate.io/e/mister-g-september-21-2024-549806/upgrade
USE SPECIAL PROMO CODE: BOGO

Rainbow Parade with Rabbi Vinikoor! 🌈🌈🌈

Thank you to all the organizers of and our Beth Israel volunteers. It was definitely one for the books!

Capture the fun at Bath Pride today from 4-7 PM!

4 PM: Resource Tables, Art Vendors, Raffle, and Food Trucks (Stop by the Beth Israel Bath table)
4:30-5 PM: Storytime
4:30-5:30 PM: Yoga in the Freight Shed with Johnna Stanton
5-6:30 PM: Performances
6:30 PM: Raffle winners announced

We take our cheesecake judging very seriously! Todah to all our bakers, tasters, and our discussion leaders from the “Encounters with the Ten Commandments” study group for a fun and meaningful Community Shavuot Celebration. It was “cheesy” in all the best ways, and our three winners, in the categories of cheesiest, best presentation, and best over all, took home certificates to Now You're Cooking to add to their baking supplies. Next up: Torah study on the 17th and Shabbat services on the 21st and 22nd!

Tonight at 7:00 PM we honor the holiday of Shavuot with our first Beth Israel cheesecake competition. One of three Jewish pilgrimage festivals, this one celebrates the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Come for conversation, community, and the cheesecake sampling, of course! As if we need to say anything other than "cheesecake competition" to get your Jewish attention... 🍰 🥇💙

Beth Israel will have a table at the 2nd Annual Bath Maine Pride Celebration on Friday, June 14th from 4-7 at the Bath Waterfront Park. Plan to spend a fun-filled, family-friendly shabbat in Bath. Artisans and yoga have been added to the list of activities this year.

Today! Celebrate this beautiful morning with music!

"Jewish Jam Session" and "Niggun Circle" are not words we typically string together at Beth Israel Congregation, and it sounds good! As our rabbinical student Intern through The Center for Small Town Jewish Life, Joe Blumberg will share his love of music with our community on Sunday, April 14, with an ALL-AGES jam session and niggun circle (a niggun is a wordless Jewish melody).

Musicians of all ages are welcome and no Hebrew knowledge is required. We'll start by learning a few new melodies in a circle and then transition to a jam session with instruments. Check your inbox for RSVP details or request more information at [email protected].

"Jewish Jam Session" and "Niggun Circle" are not words we typically string together at Beth Israel Congregation, and it sounds good! As our rabbinical student Intern through The Center for Small Town Jewish Life, Joe Blumberg will share his love of music with our community on Sunday, April 14, with an ALL-AGES jam session and niggun circle (a niggun is a wordless Jewish melody).

Musicians of all ages are welcome and no Hebrew knowledge is required. We'll start by learning a few new melodies in a circle and then transition to a jam session with instruments. Check your inbox for RSVP details or request more information at [email protected].

Silly Haman tried to throw a tantrum and ice storm, but we are too smart a people in Maine to let him steal our power for long! The synagogue has light and heat again, and we invite you back in costume this Friday at 5:30 PM to welcome Shabbat and raise your graggers in the name of Purim. Friday will not be a regular full service. We will share in Shabbat rituals, say Kaddish together, and sprinkle in some Purim fun, including costume prizes, a little spiel here and there, and some hamantaschen with dinner! If you've been waiting, this is the perfect opportunity to wear pajamas to shul.

Bring potluck vegetarian sides or hamantaschen. Beth Israel will order the pizza. The RSVP link and details are in your inbox. Not on our list? Send inquiries to [email protected].

[Photo: Purim 2022]

How many of you celebrated Purim at home when you couldn't celebrate at shul? Post "proof of Purim" in the comments. We'd love to see your photos...

Best email ever after we canceled the Purim party due to the storm: "I froze my dough and can have Hamantaschen given 48 hours notice..." This member is in "Camp Esther".

Here are some photos from the Hebrew school Purim carnival while we determine whether we have an alternate Purim gathering. If not, we look forward to celebrating a Shabbat or Passover with you soon.

Another Jewish hero, we thank Anita Lichman who directed the Hebrew school while the Rabbi was on sabbatical and helped our older students plan our school Purim festivities.

Beth Israel is still without power or heat, as is true for many of our members, Hamantaschen bakers, and local pizzerias, so we are canceling tonight's Community Purim Celebration. Show business is tough, and our Purim players have worked hard as seen in the photo here. It was a difficult call to make.

Stay tuned as we determine whether to reschedule another community Purim activity and, reach out if our Beth Israel community can be helpful as you manage post-storm. Somehow this is all Haman's fault...

We hope to see you soon. Consider the Community Passover Celebration if you haven't.

Jewish resistance.

On Tuesday April 16, at 7:00 pm, in partnership with The University of Maine, MJFF is delighted to present Resistance: They Fought Back, which tells the largely unknown and incredibly courageous story of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust.

Please join us for the Maine premiere of this award-winning documentary film on the campus of the University of Maine. A panel discussion with Director Kirk Wolfinger and Producer and Writer Owen Palmquist, will follow the screening. This is a free event. Register here: https://conta.cc/3wYUGWY

We’ve heard from Embark Maine Tours that the walking tour will include information on Minnie Brown. In 2002, Minnie Brown left half of her estate to our synagogue, which is how we purchased the building we named the Minnie Brown Center. Learn more about Minnie Brown and more Local Women’s History while raising funds for the Maine Women's Lobby.

You are invited! To a special “Hands on History” workshop and walk for Women’s History Month. Part I - the workshop! ANYONE can participate - even if you are not in Maine - because it’s an online workshop where YOU will meet historic Bath women and use primary sources to conduct your own investigation into their lives. You become the expert! Part II is a walk! In Bath, a few weeks later, after we’ve had time to ruminate a bit, and we’ll visit some of the places significant to these women’s lives - where you will help lead the tour! (No pressure!) Sign up for one or both - spaces are limited. The workshop is FREE and the walk is a suggested $20 donation to benefit (all proceeds go to) the Maine Women’s Lobby Education Fund. Learn more and register: https://www.embarkmainetours.com/womenshistory

Friday, March 1, is the last day to register! Take a thought-provoking deep dive into the Ten Commandments this spring with Rabbi Vinikoor in Bath. The class will center on the book Inscribed: Encounters with the Ten Commandments, edited by Rabbi Oren Hayon. Join us for conversation, learning, and community. Scroll down for class dates. Beth Israel will purchase the book in bulk for a discount based on registration numbers. The book cost (approximately $20.00) will be due at the first class.

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/DnjUbHt9YvgwQj8dA

"At a time when thoughtful dialogue can be difficult for individuals with contrasting views of the world - when more and more assert their perspectives as the only possible truth and surround themselves only with those of like mind, Rabbi Oren Hayon has assembled a timely, rich, and important compilation of essays on one of the world's great, revelatory Truths."

Class dates and times:
March 24: 10 am-12 noon
April 14: 3-5 pm & April 28: 3-5 pm
May 12: 3-5 pm & May 26: 3-5 pm
Final class and Shavuot celebration: TBD (June 11 or 12: 6 pm)

More book review quotes and details: https://www.ccarpress.org/shopping_product_detail.asp?pid=50474 #:~:text=%22Inscribed%3A%20Encounters%20with%20the%20Ten,out%20Revelation%20in%20our%20lives.

Purim prep is underway! Looking forward to welcoming these characters back to school today.

Although not a Shabbat service weekend for Beth Israel, the social action committee would like to inform members that the weekend of February 16-18, 2024 is “Gun Safety Awareness Sabbath”

In the last decade, the rate of gun deaths in Maine grew by 20% and the rate of su***de by gun grew by 27%. In an average year, guns kill nearly 150 Mainers, 8 of them children. Every 67 hours in Maine, someone kills themselves using a gun.

Let us begin by joining our voices collectively or as individuals
in prayer this Gun Safety Awareness Sabbath weekend.

For information about getting involved in advocacy efforts: Maine Gun Safety Coalition https://www.mainegunsafety.org/

Thanks, Bath Valentine Bandit, for sharing the ahavah/love! 💙 🤍 💙

Roll out your mat and join member and yoga teacher Sheila Cohen to explore your core balance in a gentle online yoga class on Sunday, February 18, from 2-4 PM. Practice traditional yoga postures to awaken your mind and body, meditation, and breath techniques to calm the mind. The two-hour session will include teaching and conversation about the philosophy of balance within yoga and gentle stretching. All abilities are welcome.

Bring a yoga mat and/or a sturdy chair without arms. Sequences are tailor-made to suit the needs of experienced practitioners on the mat or newcomers who prefer to sit in a chair. Sign up here to receive the Zoom link before class (online only):
https://forms.gle/vZ49Gciz3BKDT6jn7

We spot some Beth Israel friends sharing the Shabbat love! Thank you, Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine for hosting.