Congregation Beth Israel is committed to being a vibrant Reform Jewish Congregation that provides life-long opportunities for spiritual growth and learning based on Jewish values.
We provide a welcoming environment for a diverse community.
We embrace and nurture our youth, recognizing them as a vital part of our congregation.
We continue to be a financially sound congregation with strong, active, involved membership.
We will raise awareness and knowledge of Judaism through interaction with local communities.
We will continue to be a spiritual home united by the participation of our members.
Regular Shabbat Evening Services Shabbat Morning Service & Torah Study Please look at Upcoming Events on the right for this weeks service times or our calendar for future events.
Friday, February 5 at 6:00 pm. Tot Shabbat. Get that “Shabbat Feeling” and join us for a spiritually uplifting, interactive prayer experience.It is geared towards children ages 0-7, but it’s fun for all ages.
Friday, February 5 at 6:30 pm. Dairy/Vegetarian Potluck. Contact Holly Byrd at Hollie.R.Byrd@jpmorgan.comfor suggestions on what to bring.
Friday, February 5 at 7:30 p.m.Shabbat Evening Service.Our service will be led by the 8th and 9th grade who have also put together a creative sermon, complete with costumes!Please join us for this exciting Shabbat celebration.
Saturday, February 6 at 10:00 a.m. Shabbat Morning Service. We will take part in the standing at Sinai as we read the Ten Commandments from the Torah.Our study will focus on how our rabbis resolve discrepancies in the text of the Ten Commandments.
Next Week Services:
Friday, February 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 13 at 10:00 a.m.
For more information about our services, click HERE.
Jewish Community Events
DAUGHTERS OF ABRAHAM
The first meeting of the Northeast Tarrant County Daughter of Abraham group took place on Wednesday July 22 at 7pm at Congregation Beth Israel. The agenda will include the history and philosophy of Daughters of Abraham and a discussion of what we want this group to be and look like.
Daughters of Abraham is an interfaith group of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim women who meet to celebrate commonalities of their faith and share their personal spiritual experiences. Daughters of Abraham meet monthly to discuss topics such as prayer styles, faith traditions and principles surrounding forgiveness, myths surrounding their respective faiths, holidays, rituals, as well as the common heroes of the three faith traditions.
If you plan on attending or want to be part of this group's listserve , please contact Adena Cytron-Walker.
For more information about the Daughters of Abraham: http://www.daughtersofabraham.com/
Holidays at CBI
Live From CBI, It’s Purim 5770
Grab your costume and dust off your grogger.We’re celebrating with Costumes, Dinner, Dancing & Saturday Night Live at CBI
On December 15th and 16th, I will be out of commission due to a medical procedure that I will undergo.In 1999, during a blood drive, I signed up for the National Marrow Registry as a potential donor.This past summer, over ten years later, I was contacted for the first time as a possible match.After all of the testing has been done, it turns out that I am a perfect match for a fifteen year old girl whose bone marrow is no longer functioning.It is a unique opportunity to save a life and on December 15th, the marrow harvest will take place.If there are no complications, I should be back at the congregation on December 17th.
I wanted to share this with you not only because I will be out for a couple days, but also because on Sunday, January 10th, CBI will be hosting a blood drive where you will also be able to sign up for the National Marrow Registry.Because it is in keeping with Jewish values, I would have encouraged all who are able to take advantage of the opportunity to do so, regardless of the situation.But now, with a deeper understanding of what it means to be listed on the registry, I strongly urge you to consider this mitzvah if you’re medical condition permits.
If you have questions, feel free to call or email me and I’ll be sure to send an update after the procedure
CBI Mitzvah Opportunity! Shalom Aleichem Group Forming!
CBI’s Adult Bar and Bat Mitzvah class is organizing an effort to make sure that everyone that walks in the doors of Congregation Beth Israel for all of our services will be welcomed and made to feel a part of our congregational family. To accomplish this, a new group called Shalom Aleichem (Peace unto you) is being formed that will greet everyone as they enter, answer any questions for newcomers, and make sure that a siddur and all other handouts are provided. The greeters will make sure that the sanctuary is ready for services, ensure that no one sits alone during services, and keeps an eye out so no one is standing by themselves at the oneg.
We are looking for people of all different ages and backgrounds to participate in this effort, reflecting the diversity of our CBI community. Therefore feel free to sign up as an individual or a family. We are asking members in Shalom Aleichem to commit to serve in this role at least once a month, either on Friday night or Saturday morning. If this appeals to you and your family, please make plans to attend our training session to be held on Sunday, December 13th at 2pm. The training will last less than an hour.
To sign up for the group, please contact Elyse Kitterman
Social Action Committee Survey
The Social Action Committee (SAC) has selected the following 7 issues listed on the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism website to survey membership interest: 1. Healthcare http://rac.org/advocacy/issues/issuehc/ 2. Bioethics
All members of the congregation age 13 and older are asked to complete this survey.
We would like you to rank your interest in pursuing these issues as well as tell us whether you think this is an issue that the congregation should adopt for the 5770 year.
We will begin to post the results of the survey and coments on the Tikkun Olam page after Sukkot. We can also set up a blog on the website to discuss these issues.
Save a stamp by completing the survey and email it to justice@congregationbethisrael.org or webmaster@congregationbethisrael.org
As the holiday of Tu b'Shevat approaches, congregations and families prepare to look at the natural world with wonder and celebrate the abundance of earth's incredible resources. At many of our celebrations, we will read from Ecclesiastes 1:4: "One generation goes, another comes, but the earth remains the same forever."
Each year on Yom Kippur, Rudolph Dana locks himself in his Pétionville, Haiti, home -- protected by guard dogs and security personnel -- and passes the Day of Atonement fasting, praying and reciting the traditional liturgy of repentance and forgiveness.
I am saddened and dismayed by recent events at the Western Wall. These events are a tragedy -- a blow to the State of Israel and to the unity of the Jewish people.
The November 4-8 biennial event for the Union of Reform Judaism (URJ), serving Reform congregations in North America, ended with nine resolutions, three of which pertained to the Middle East.
Visit our CALENDAR PAGE to see what's happening this week and month!
Live From CBI, It’s Purim 5770
