B'nai Israel Congregation

Tefillin are not just for men! Cantor Bolts will share her experience as a woman who wears tefillin, and teach about how and why tefillin can be for Jews of all genders.

You might already live in a city, a town, or a county, but imagine the benefits of living in a modern-day “village.” Today’s villages are innovative, community-based organizations that improve quality of life by providing programs and services that empower older adults to remain independent and age safely and securely in their homes. Founded by community members, each village develops an organizational structure and offerings based on that community’s needs. Villages help transform the experiences of aging and enhance the communities where they exist by offering multi-generational opportunities for engagement, sparking closer ties among neighbors and helping to ensure a safer environment.

February 10-12, 2025 Led by Rabbi Mitchell Berkowitz $995 per person based on double occupancy (land only) Join us for this important experience. This special Civil Rights journey uses the history, sites, and current issues as a springboard to highlight the relationship, and at times, the tension, of the Jewish and American identity. The journey will be a mix of fun, sightseeing, education, and meetings with organizations and people who have been and are still involved in creating America. Participants will learn about the struggles of African Americans to gain equality in the 1950s & 60s and explore how Jews were involved in the struggle for Civil Rights. Participants will walk away understanding why Jews, as people who have known oppression, must care and act when others are oppressed. Trip Highlights Include: Cities of Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham Martin Luther King Center and Tomb/Auburn Avenue District Old Ebenezer Baptist Church Freedom Park 16th Street Baptist Church Walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge Rosa Parks Museum Equal Justice Initiative Legacy Museum and Memorial to Peace & Justice

*Every Monday when B’nai Israel offices are open.

February 10-12, 2025 Led by Rabbi Mitchell Berkowitz $995 per person based on double occupancy (land only) Join us for this important experience. This special Civil Rights journey uses the history, sites, and current issues as a springboard to highlight the relationship, and at times, the tension, of the Jewish and American identity. The journey will be a mix of fun, sightseeing, education, and meetings with organizations and people who have been and are still involved in creating America. Participants will learn about the struggles of African Americans to gain equality in the 1950s & 60s and explore how Jews were involved in the struggle for Civil Rights. Participants will walk away understanding why Jews, as people who have known oppression, must care and act when others are oppressed. Trip Highlights Include: Cities of Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham Martin Luther King Center and Tomb/Auburn Avenue District Old Ebenezer Baptist Church Freedom Park 16th Street Baptist Church Walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge Rosa Parks Museum Equal Justice Initiative Legacy Museum and Memorial to Peace & Justice

February 10-12, 2025 Led by Rabbi Mitchell Berkowitz $995 per person based on double occupancy (land only) Join us for this important experience. This special Civil Rights journey uses the history, sites, and current issues as a springboard to highlight the relationship, and at times, the tension, of the Jewish and American identity. The journey will be a mix of fun, sightseeing, education, and meetings with organizations and people who have been and are still involved in creating America. Participants will learn about the struggles of African Americans to gain equality in the 1950s & 60s and explore how Jews were involved in the struggle for Civil Rights. Participants will walk away understanding why Jews, as people who have known oppression, must care and act when others are oppressed. Trip Highlights Include: Cities of Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham Martin Luther King Center and Tomb/Auburn Avenue District Old Ebenezer Baptist Church Freedom Park 16th Street Baptist Church Walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge Rosa Parks Museum Equal Justice Initiative Legacy Museum and Memorial to Peace & Justice

A welcoming, inclusive environment for Jewish women to connect, share, and support one another. (Like a book club but without the homework!)

Wednesday, February 5 (continuing 14 more weeks, concluding May 28) 7:00–8:30 PM at Ohr Kodesh Congregation $150/person (includes textbook) Whether you want to learn more about your heritage, are considering converting, or are eager to incorporate more Judaism into your life, this course is for you. Throughout this 15-week course, students of all ages and backgrounds explore significant topics: rituals, holidays, Torah and values. Each cohort is guided by a multi-denominational team of rabbis who bring the past, present, and future together—including B’nai Israel’s own Rabbi Michael Safra, Rabbi Mitchell Berkowitz, and Rabbi Cheryl Stone. Presented by The Haberman Institute for Jewish Studies.

Get creative and celebrate love and nature! Paint your own terracotta pot, plant a little green friend, and take home a growing reminder of connection and renewal. Bring your friends, your partner, or just yourself—it’s the perfect night to have some wine and cheese, relax, laugh, and let your creativity bloom!

$36/member; $50/nonmember Did you know that Pharaoh later becomes the King of Nineveh in Jonah? Or that Abraham’s later wife, Keturah, is actually Hagar? The ancient rabbis loved to identify these time travelers of the text. Explore some of these fascinating characters of the text, and see why our sages tell us that two characters, sometimes separated by time and space, are really one and the same.

12:00 PM BYO Dairy Lunch 12:30–1:30 PM Program During the early decades of Israel’s existence, it enjoyed the sympathy, often even the staunch support, of the preponderance of international opinion. After being viciously invaded in October 2023 by an army sworn to Israel’s destruction and to the death of all Jews everywhere, and then fighting back to defend itself against future invasions, Israel finds itself in the dock. The UN, international courts, and a seemingly overwhelming majority of international opinion have aligned squarely against it. What happened? What changed? How did Israel become the bad guy?

Experience a different approach to Shabbat morning prayers. With a mixture of song, meditation, and discussion, we will explore an intentional path to enhance your prayer practice. Mindfulness Meditation helps us to connect to our Jewish values, creating greater perception in our minds for a connection to the Divine.

On this Shabbat we express solidarity with the global Jewish movement for refugee protection and welcome, recalling our own history as a people who have often found ourselves to be refugees in foreign lands. Join us for a lunch and learn during the congregational kiddush to learn more.