Children’s Service for First Day Rosh Hashanah

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Once again this year, Morah Betsy will be leading a service for 6-12 year old students on the First Day of Rosh Hashanah (Thursday 9/29/11) at approximately 10:30 AM.  We will pray, have a Torah service with the congregation’s brand new student Torah scroll, read the Torah readings in English, discuss the prayers, and blow shofar.

We will also join the adult service in the sanctuary briefly for the sounding of the shofar there.

For our prayers and Torah selection, we will using the Tiku Shofar Machzor, kindly loaned to us from Congregation Agudas Achim, and we hope to use it again on Yom Kippur.

A Very Special Shabbat

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Dear Congregants and Friends,

Please join us this Friday night, September 23 at 7 pm as we welcome back Colonel and Elinor Pusin who are visiting from San Antonio for Friday night services.

As many of you know, Colonel Pusin, who is 93 and a founding member at Beth El, recently moved to San Antonio after many years in Austin and at Beth El.  He will be coming to Beth El to see old friends and the new sanctuary in his beloved shul.  His friends from the Jewish War Veterans will be joining us too and we will have a kiddish and kibbitz after services.
Tomorrow night, September 24 at 8 pm, we will be having a havdallah, followed by slichot services.  Again, please join us for this “kick-off” to the High Holidays.

Cantor Ben-Moshe’s weekly message:

This Shabbat, the last before Rosh Hashanah, is the double parshah of Nitzavim-VaYelech.  Moses’ final oration to the People of Israel is drawing to a close, and he says “You are present here, today, all of you.”  All of B’nai Yisrael were listening to Moses, from the highest to the lowest.  These words were not just for those who were standing on the border of the Land of Israel, though.  They are addressed to us as well.  We must be present, here, today.  Jewish tradition bids us to practice mindfulness through the practice of mitzvot.  At this time of year, when the shofar wakes us up from our stale routine, we must remember to be present.  Here.  Today.
Shabbat Shalom and G’mar hatimah tovah.

Congregation Beth El

8902 Mesa Drive

Austin TX 78759

High Holiday Information

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Cantor Ben Moshe dressing the Torah and the Ark in white, last year.

The high holidays are nearly upon us, and the schedule for services for Beth El is now finalized.  All events and services are free and do not require tickets, and the entire community is welcome to join us.  (We do gratefully accept donations, however, and invite you to discuss the possibility of membership.)

Beth El High Holiday Schedule 5772 (This is a PDF that you can print or download.)

The calendar for adult and junior congregation services is here.

Read more

High Holiday Cards!

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Still need Rosh Hashanah cards?  Shabbat cards to bring with your wine bottle or flowers when you’re invited to a Shabbat meal?  A Sukkot card to thank the friends who invite you to eat in their Sukkah?  How about Sukkot cards to use as invitations when you invite others to your sukkah?  We have even added Bar/Bat Mitzvah and thank-you cards to our collection.

Get your cards from Beth El and help our children raise money for child-size tallitot, story books, and costumes for Shabbat and holiday Junior Congregation programming.

click to enlarge

The kids have been busy, and so have I.  Here are 55 of the designs we have created, and there are samples available at shul entrance.  No cards will be sold on Shabbat, but if you order by email, I will leave your cards in the shul in an envelope for you. Remember also that we can custom paint, draw, or create a collage.   Children’s Services Fundraiser PO 2 page, or just email me.

The kids have assembled a wish list for Shabbat/holiday children’s services:

WISH LIST:

  • child-size ark & Torah scroll (We are already dancing with and reading from our scroll!  Thanks Mr. Arthur!)
  • child-size tallitot
  • costumes for kids & puppets
  • materials for holiday crafts
  • Torah books & stories

For more info, contact  MorahBetsy@gmail.com.

Firsts, firsts and More firsts!

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What an amazing day of Firsts we had!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udYceQyukic?rel=0]

The first day of Hebrew school, with a brand new class, a brand new children’s Torah scroll, a chance to watch the workmen assemble our brand new chairs, and the opportunity to sound the shofar for the first time.  We began the afternoon with a visit to the sanctuary, where we sang “Mah Tovu” and wondered at the gorgeous new room in which we plan to pray.  We then looked at, hugged, lifted, and read a few letters from our brand new student Torah scroll, and then began our alef-bet studies in a manner reminiscent of some of our great grandparents — we each ate a letter written in honey on an apple in order to have the sweet taste of Hebrew and on our tongues for our entire student careers.

We also learned to sing the chorus of Adon Olam and plan to sing with the congregation Shabbat morning.

Adon Olam chorus only

Today’s big thinking question (relating to Rosh Hashanah):  Is it God’s birthday on Rosh Hashanah? Does God have a birthday?

A note: registration is still open!  Class for kinder-third grade is Monday afternoon from 4-5:30, and we will have a Bar/Bat Mitzvah class Tuesday evenings.  If upper elementary students want to join us, we will find a time and schedule a class!  For more information, email Betsy@MorahBetsy.com.