August 2019 - Tamuz / Av 5779

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 2)

ETERNAL LIGHT - SUMMER EDITION

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Join us for

Shabbat Morning Tefilah & Torah Study Saturdays, 10 am

In the Gary J. Weill Youth Room

FROM THE RABBI

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FROM THE PRESIDENT - Seth Kaplan

Jewish Meditation August 3rd - 5:30 pm

Mindfulness meditation, a popular and effective method of finding inner peace and easing anxiety, depression, and pain, has deep Jewish roots dating back many years. Jewish meditation traces its origins to Kabbalah and was later continued and expanded upon in Hasidism. Learn more about the nature of Jewish meditation and benefit from its joyful and healing powers. We have planned an initial series of six sessions, each of which will include a Havdalah service. Held in the Gary Weill Youth Room, these participatory sessions will last about an hour, beginning at 5:30 PM on Saturdays. The schedule for the upcoming session TBA.

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Shabbat Services on Facebook Live

Many of our Shabbat Services are live-streamed on Facebook. To be notified when we’re live, search

Congregation B’nai Israel on Facebook and friend us. You will then get a notification from

Facebook that we are live. You can also go back and watch it again or watch past Shabbat services.

CALENDAR

August 2

Shabbat Service, 6 pm

August 3

Shabbat Tefilah & Torah Study, 10 am

Jewish Meditation, 5:30 pm

August 9

Joint Shabbat Service with Beth Shalom @ CBI, 6 pm

August 10

Shabbat Tefilah & Torah Study, 10 am

August 13

Board Meeting, 6 pm

August 15

Beginners Hebrew, 12 pm

August 16

Shabbat Service, 6 pm

August 17

Shabbat Tefilah & Torah Study, 10 am

August 22

Beginners Hebrew, 12 pm

August 23

Shabbat Service, 7 pm

Celebrating the Bar Mitzvah of Jacob Berg

August 24

Bar Mitzvah of Jacob Berg, 10am

August 25

Religious School Teacher’s Orientation

August 30

Shabbat Service, 6 pm - Union Prayer Service

August 31

Shabbat Tefilah & Torah Study, 10 am

September 2

OFFICE CLOSED

September 6

Joint Shabbat with Beth Shalom @ BSS,, 6 pm

September 7

Shabbat Tefilah & Torah Study, 10 am

September 8

Religious School 9:30 am

Confirmation 12:00 pm

September 10

Board Meeting, 6 pm

September 13

Shabbat Service, 6 pm

September 14

Shabbat Tefilah & Torah Study, 10 am

September 15

Religious School 9:30 am

September 20

Shabbat Service, 6 pm

September 21

Selichot Service, 10 am

September 22

Religious School 9:30 am

Confirmation 12:00 pm

September 27

Shabbat Service, 6 pm

September 28

Shabbat Tefilah & Torah Study, 10 am

September 28 - EREV ROSH HASHANAH

No Religious School

Rosh Hashanah Evening Service, 7 pm

September 28 - ROSH HASHANAH

Rosh Hashanah Service, 10 am

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PRAYER

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LECTURES WITH MODERN SCHOLARS (Podcasts provided by the Hebrew Union College -Jewish Institute of Religion)

Wednesdays, 7pm

August 21, 2019

WHAT MAKES ME A REFORM JEW? with Rabbi David Ellenson, Ph.E.

Rabbi David Ellenson, Ph.D. , is Chancel lor Emer i tus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and Director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies (Brandeis University), as well as Visiting Professor in the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis. He served as President of HUC-JIR from 2001-2013.

Future Classes

September 18 How We Talk About God

with Rabbi Michael Marmur Ph.D.

October 23 Critique and Rebuke

with Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi Ph.D.

November 13 Advocacy and Activism

with Rabbi Jonah Pesner

December 18 Jewish Law in Reform Judaism

with Rabbi Mark Washofsky Ph.D.

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Jewish Food Festival “from Bubbe’s Kitchen”

November 11, 2019 10:00 am - 7:00 pm

Purchase your favorite Jewish foods to go or eat in!

Enjoy delicious foods from your Bubbe’s Kitchen such as:

Matzo Ball Soup Stuffed cabbage

Blintze with sour cream and jelly Challah

Ruben sandwich with chips and a pickle Brisket

Noodle Kugel Tuna sandwich with chips and a pickle

Take home your favorite dessert from the hugh bake sale!

Thank you to Byron Kantrow and

Hamilton Shaw! They were in

attendance at the Interfaith

Federation of Greater Baton

Rouge meeting as CBI’s

delegates.

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BECOMING B’NAI MITZVAH

OUR COMMUNITY

We have updated our system to

include birthday and anniversary

dates. If we have either of those dates

incorrect or we have omitted your

name during the month of celebration,

please call the office (225-343-0111)

or email (office@bnaibr.org) with the

correction. Our apologies if we have

omitted you or put the wrong date -

we want to celebrate with you so let us

know!

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Israeli Folk Dancing CBI Social Hall from

7:00 - 8:30pm

Dancers, experienced or novice, singles,

couples or families, young or young-at-heart,

are invited to attend free of charge.

Contact: David Kirshner at 756-5291

September 8 September 22

October 6 October 20

November 3 November 24

December 1 December 15

to

Isaac Alton

Reed McMains

Parks McMains

on your Bar Mitzvah

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Don’t forget to register for

2019 / 2020 CBI Religious School at https://bnaibr.wufoo.com/forms/cbi-religous-school/

Religious School Faculty Orientation August 25th

9:00 am - 12:00 pm

CBI Religious School starts on September 8th!

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Religious School - Camp Dreamstreet

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BAR MITZVAH - Jacob Charles Berg

Please join us, as Jacob Charles Berg becomes a Bar Mitzvah

Saturday, August 24, 2019 at 10am.

Jacob will lead Shabbat Services with Rabbi Jordan at 7pm on

Friday August 23, Oneg to follow.

Jacob is in the 7th grade at Episcopal School of Baton Rouge. He

enjoys anything athletic! Jacob has played club soccer with Baton

Rouge Soccer club since he was 5 years old. He also enjoys playing

sports at school including cross country, soccer and track. Jacob has

three English Mastiffs named Bella, Jewel, and Ginger whom he

loves lounging on and playing with. He has an older sister Emily

(15) and a younger brother Lee (8).

Jacob’s Mitzvah project is in support of Companion Animal Alliance (CAA). CAA is a

nonprofit organization formed in 2011 to increase the save rate of animals in our community.

In partnership with the East Baton Rouge City-Parish, CAA operates the EBR Parish open-

intake shelter, caring for nearly 9,000 animals each year including cats, dogs, horses, wildlife,

and exotic animals. CAA has increased the save rate of animals from 20% in 2011 to over 70%

in 2018. Please join Jacob in his Mitzvah project by making a donation to CAA in honor of his

Bar Mitzvah. Remember to choose to dedicate your donation in honor of Jacob and fill in his

name. All donations can be made online at caabr.org/donate.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to celebrating with you!

Scott, Leslie, Emily, Jacob, and Lee Berg

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Zichronam Livracha May their memories be a blessing

YAHRZEIT לברכה זכרונם

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YARHZEIT

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Our condolences to Lisa Binder

on the recent passing of her mother,

Isabel Posner

May her memory be a blessing.

YAHRZEIT

We send our warmest sympathies to Byron Kantrow, Josh Kantrow, Miriam Del Rio, and David Kantrow on the recent passing of

Zelda Kaplan

who was 97 years old. Zelda passed away in Alexandria on July 9th.

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Memorial and Honorary Donations

Memorial and Honorary donations are accepted online or by mail.

Pay by credit card online with an easy form that allows you to choose

a designated fund or the general donation fund and the purpose of your gift.

https://bnaibr.wufoo.com/forms/donation-to-congregation-bnai-israel/

or donations may be mailed to 3354 Kleinert Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70806

DONATIONS

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DESIGNATED FUNDS

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The Berg Family

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Seth Kaplan, President

Andy Blumberg, Vice President Jay Jalenak, Past President

Ralph Bender, Treasurer Michael Roth, Secretary

Scott Berg Linda Dubois Heather Folks Givens Jak Kunstler Robert Levy Jessica Marks Robbie Rubin Hamilton Shaw Julie Suggs

Nathan Levy, Men’s Club President Paige Wormser, Women of CBI President Julia Sager, BaRFTY Co-President Maggie Mullinex, BaRFTY Co-President

STAFF

Jordan E. Goldson, Rabbi (rabbijg@bnaibr.org)

Barry Weinstein, Rabbi Emeritus Cathy Duplechin, Office Administrator (office@bnaibr.org)

Jessica Yellen, Religious School Co-Director (relschool@bnaibr.org)

Julie Tepper, Religious School Co-Director (asst.relschool@bnaibr.org)

James Hickman, Custodian

TEMPLE OFFICE VOLUNTEERS (TOV)

Edie Bender Edie Bernard Laurie Brandt Robbie Rubin

Celebrat ing Shabbat Together