This Sunday is my Happy Day. It comes once a year, usually around Rosh Hashanah, and yet it is never on Rosh Hashanah. Some of you guessed – Sunday is the first day of Beit Sefer, our school program. My smile grows as the hallways fill with bouncing kids and small hands reach to open the heavy doors. This year will be different, and yet it will be the same. Our teachers are prepared to welcome their students with smiles, engaging introductory activities, games and sounds of Hebrew. In addition to the usual preparation, the faculty has increased their instructional toolboxes for teaching online, they have studied with experts from across the country, and they have gleaned materials from colleagues. Beginning a school year with remote learning is new to all of us. This year our groups will be smaller, our curriculum is adjusted, and Cantor Cotler will be leading worship and song with our students each week. After the holidays, many students will have the opportunity to participate in optional chuggim, activities such as cooking, storytelling, crafts, art and drama. Families will have the chance to join a small cohort for monthly gatherings around a theme or just to socialize.

Most important, Beth Emet and its Beit Sefer will remain a safe haven during these turbulent times. Beit Sefer has been a place that kids can be themselves, look up to madrichim (teen assistants), and ask questions about why the unexplainable happens. They gain confidence and competence, build their pride in being Jewish, and know that each of them is unique and each of them has a place in Beth Emet. We will work hard this year to continue to be a place of safety and comfort as we face and witness hard times around us. Beth Emet is this sanctuary for many adults as well. Adults who have stepped into more worship, more learning, and more doing during these past six months. Adults who want to both grow themselves and make a difference in our world. Our opportunities to learn and partner with each other continue during the High Holy Day season and beyond. Watch your mail and emails for the High Holiday Guide that contains the listing of Adult Education classes as well as many opportunities to be involved in social action and worship.

As one recent B’nai Mitzvah (Max Kuhn) said: “2020 has taught us many things about leadership and has given us many consequences…. We have also learned the potential of protests and how acting together is better than acting apart.” May we continue to learn and to nurture each other. May we continue to make a difference for ourselves and our world. 

We can’t wait to see you for the new year!  We have a full schedule for the High Holy Days – some of which is pre-recorded, some of which will be on Zoom, and some in person – spiritually together, but safely physically apart.  Early next week, those who have registered will receive an email with all the information as to how to access services, and a High Holy Day Guide is in the mail with instructions, holiday information and the Adult Education Catalogue. If you have not yet registered, it’s not too late.  Please complete the online registration today. For questions, contact Bekki Kaplan.

All are invited to join Beth Emet for this High Holy Days this year.  Rather than charging, we are asking guests to register and if they are so inclined, make a donation to support the High Holy Days.  Pass along the registration link to anyone who you think would be interested or share this promotional video to spread the word!

Last chance to reserve your giftbag and see the full list of opportunities for Young Families.

During the Yom Kippur Chavurah services the Beth Emet rabbis will be answering your questions. In the spirit of our theme this year: Open hearts, open arms, open minds, we want to know what Jewish questions are on your mind. Please submit your questions in writing or via a 30 second video (landscape format) by 4:00 pm on Monday, September 21 to wyablon@bethemet.org. The rabbis will answer as many of them as possible at the Yom Kippur Chavurah services, going live at 9:00 am on Monday, September 28.

In the spirit of Open hearts, open arms and open minds, we are also offering time for people to come before an “Open Ark.” As the High Holy Days approach, many people are feeling a sense of loss in not being able to come into the Beth Emet building and Sanctuary to pray. So, between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we are creating an opportunity for you (with others in your household, if you wish) to come into the Beth Emet Sanctuary for up to 15 minutes to privately offer your prayers before the open Ark. Individuals who wish to do so must sign up in advance, which is on a first come basis. Of course, COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed, including filling out a health form prior to arrival. To reserve your place, please contact Wendy Yablon letting her know the date and time range that you are available.

Looking for some musical inspiration to prepare you for the High Holy Days? Our Beth Emet Spotify playlist is just the thing for you! An eclectic assortment of songs relating to the themes of the Holy Days, including liner notes to stimulate your thinking.

To access Virtual Beth Emet via Zoom, please check the latest info/links on the online calendar (with hyperlink). You can also find online the Zoom instructions (with hyperlink). Please note that worship services are also posted on Facebook Live (Please note that when on Facebook Live, your user name will appear when you speak. If you wish to preserve your privacy, please make sure to rename your user name. If you don’t have a copy of  Mishkan T’filah  at home, you can get a free online flip book, a discounted  Kindle ebook version of  Mishkan T’filah, or a full Mishkan T’filah. It’s also just fine to listen in!

6:00 p.m. 

Zoom Link | Phone: 312-626-6799 Meeting ID: 853 5684 6772

Zoom Link | Phone: 312-626-6799 | Meeting ID: 853 5684 6772

Kahal Shabbat Morning Service via Zoom and Facebook **New Zoom Link**

Zoom Link | Phone: 312-626-6799 Meeting ID: 813 2237 5514

Zoom Link | Phone: 312-626-6799

Zoom Link | Phone: 312-626-6799

Zoom Link | Phone: 312-626-6799

Rabbis Gabby Dagan and Na’ama Dafni-Kellen at the Yabok River where Jacob wrestled with the angel

Rabbis Gabby Dagan and Na’ama Dafni-Kellen leading Havdalah in a Bedouin camp in Wadi Rum

Rabbis Gabby Dagan and Na’ama Dafni-Kellen From the top of Mt. Nebo where Moses died

Weekday Minyan via Zoom ** New Zoom Link** 

Zoom Link | Phone: 312-626-6799 | Meeting ID: 883 0113 9619

If you are observing a Yahrtzeit or are in a period of mourning, click here to get a copy of the Mourner’s Kaddish. During this time in which the building is closed, we will be reading the names on Friday as part of the Kabbalat Shabbat services, beginning at 6:30 p.m. You can find the link to Zoom on the Beth Emet website or you can watch it live via Beth Emet’s Facebook page. On Shabbat mornings we hold services at 9:30 a.m., again virtually, and while we do not recite the name, we do invite everyone to unmute or add to chat to share the names with the community 

Here is week four of our ritual for renewal in preparation for the High Holy Days. During the prior weeks we addressed themes of responsibility, regret, and rejection. This week we work on resolution, the fourth step of T’shuvah--turning in repentance. Rabbinical Student, Sara Blumenthal helps us reflect on this final step. She asks these questions for us to contemplate in the coming week:  As we enter this final week of Elul, I invite you to think about a tikkun (correction, adjustment, or slight modification) that you want to make during this season of T’shuvah, in yourself, your relationships with others, the earth, or God. What needs healing and how can your T’shuvah this year be a source of that healing?

If you missed previous rituals, you can find it on our Elul page.

Don't miss out on this week's story

Check out our first week creating a Mezzuzah doorpost, the second week making a Tzedakah Tzorbet bank, and last week a story about praying when you do not know the words. You can find each of these videos on our Elul page.

To find prior content, search communications@bethemet.org in your mailbox.