B'nai Israel Congregation

2:00 to 3:30 PM As the pandemic surged and forced us into our homes, many of us dreamed with new intensity of being elsewhere. For Jews throughout the ages, the promises and perils of travel have been central to shaping the individual and collective experience. Notions of home and homeland have been redefined by Jewish wandering. Drawing on literary, spiritual, and historical sources and responses, JTS scholars will explore what happens when Jews—whether by force or volun-tarily, whether in reality or in the imagination—travel from one place to an-other. You can view all of the sessions below.

Hear about the landmark Pew Research Center study of American Jewry from one of the authors, at a program sponsored by the B'nai Israel Men's Club. Then we'll ask our senior rabbi, Michael Safra, what he thinks about it. Please register below. For more information, contact Jonathan D. Salant, Men's Club co-president, at jds15@aol.com.

The first Shabbat after Tisha B’Av is called Shabbat Nahamu, the Shabbat of Comfort. This year, that Shabbat coincides with Tu B’Av, a day that was celebrated as a Jewish Valentine’s Day. On that day, says the Mishnah, Jewish boys and girls would meet and celebrate the spirit of renewal that necessarily followed the period of mourning for the destruction of the Holy Temples. Our Shabbat service on July 24 will be enhanced to incorporate these special themes. Following the service, we will gather outdoors for the first congregational kiddush in a long time.