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.

The Book of Jonah serves as the haftarah for the afternoon of Yom Kippur. The book may be brief, but its lessons are rich and profound. In this year’s exploration of the text, Rabbi Berkowitz will present a new commentary authored by Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, focusing on the message “human responsibility in a shared world.”

The Rosh Hashanah morning service can feel like an ocean of mostly-unfamiliar text, even to those who know the weekday and Shabbat services well. Cantor Bolts will take you through Musaf, one of the centerpieces of Rosh Hashanah liturgy, and help you understand the meaning and significance of this important service.

To attend this service, please contact Allison to reserve your space.

Join us for an evening of exploration and reflection as we look back at the life of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and the indelible mark that he made on our nation during the Civil Rights Movement. The film screening will be followed by a discussion with the clergy in which we will seek to connect the film to themes of the season including the power of every individual, the Jewish people’s eternal faith in hope, and the responsibility we all share to create a more perfect community and society. Our annual Selihot Service, marking the official start to the High Holiday season, will follow. This service prepares us spiritually for the intensity of the High Holidays, and will conclude at the stroke of midnight. About the film: Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel was one of the most remarkable and inspiring figures of the American 20th Century. He was a mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr and the entire Civil Rights Movement, a leading critic of the Vietnam War, a champion for Soviet Jews and a pioneer in the work of interfaith dialogue. Today his legacy lives on in countless synagogues across America despite the fact that fifty years ago many disagreed with his public opinions. The film combines archival photographs and rarely seen footage, as well as interviews with Civil Rights leaders Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Young, Jewish Theological Seminary Chancellor Arnold Eisen, daughter Susannah Heschel and others.