B'nai Israel Congregation

Learn all about how chocolate is made, make your own and have a chocolate snack!

Enjoy games, ice cream, surprises, and more at this end of the year program.

David Lehrer will discuss how Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians are working together to advance cross-border cooperation around water, energy, food security and environmental protection in the face of political challenges. Dr. Lehrer holds a PhD from the Geography and Environmental Development Department of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and a joint Masters Degree in Management Science from Boston University and Ben-Gurion University. Dr. Lehrer was the Executive Director of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies from 2001 until August 2021 and has now become Director of International Development. Dr. Lehrer has been a member of Kibbutz Ketura since 1981; worked in agriculture and education; served as the General Secretary and Business Manager, and twice served as an emissary for the Jewish Agency of Israel in the US. Dr. Lehrer’s research includes studies on the effectiveness of the ISO 14001 environmental management system, sustainable development in the Dead Sea Basin and the cost of nature conservation in Israel. Dr. Lehrer is currently on Sabbatical, lecturing at Boston University.

The Last Suit (I hr. 31 min.; Spanish with English subtitles) Abraham Bursztein, an 88-year-old Jewish tailor, runs away from Buenos Aires to Poland, where he proposes to find a friend who saved him from certain death at the end of World War II. After seven decades without any contact with him, Abraham will try to find his old friend and keep his promise to return one day.

A new year and a new tractate of Talmud! Join us to study Tractate Berakhot which includes a comprehensive discussion of the Shema and Amidah, the essential components of the prayer service. Newcomers are more than welcome to join us. No prior knowledge is necessary.

$36 for members; $50 for nonmembers This class will be offered in-person and via Zoom. The Hebrew Bible says very little about what comes after death for mere mortals, but the rabbinic tradition offers multiple conceptions of the afterlife. Although it may come as a surprise, notions such as reincarnation and resurrection of the dead are included in the Jewish understanding of the afterlife. Explore these topics and more as we unearth the stories of Judaism’s afterlives.

Practice your Hebrew reading of prayer and text with our Shlicha Netta Asner-Minster. This is designed for those who want to strengthen their Hebrew reading and familiarity with prayers. Recommended to bring and use the Sim Shalom prayerbook for Shabbat and Festivals. Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/404382516

A dinner event to say a proper good-bye and thank you to Netta Asner-Minster for her memorable three years as the B’nai Israel shlicha.

Sacred Prostitution and the Cult of Aphrodite/Venus in Roman Corinth with Barbette Spaeth, William and Mary According to the first century geographer Strabo, "The Sanctuary of Aphrodite at Corinth was so rich that it possessed more than a thousand sacred slaves, prostitutes, whom both men and women dedicated to the goddess." Many have understood this passage to refer to "sacred prostitution," that is, the practice of payment for sexual acts conducted in a cultic context. The passage has thus been used to elucidate Paul's letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 6), where the apostle rails against the early Christians of the city for having congress with prostitutes. What evidence do we have for cult of Aphrodite, or Venus in Roman terms, in the city and its ties to sacred prostitution? This talk will examine the literary and archaeological evidence for the cult of this goddess in Roman Corinth and consider the premise that this ritual practice occurred in her sanctuaries. How to Access the BAF/BASONOVA Zoom Lecture Series Please access the BASONOVA PayPal portal and use a credit card to reserve your Zoom spot for this event ($7): http://www.basonova.org/ next-lecture-reservation.html Questions: info@basonova.org Zoom links will be sent Monday, May 23