Friday, Feb. 10, Beth Jacob families will be gathering in each other’s homes to celebrate Shabbat together, either hosting or attending a dinner. All members are encouraged to participate in a Friday night dinner.

Saturday night, February 11, we’ll all come together at the synagogue for a celebratory dinner and program. Dinner will begin at 7:00pm, with our special guest speaker Sam Freedman to follow at 8:30.

Registration for the dinner is now closed, but please join us for Sam Freedman at 8:30!

More News:

Check out the great article in the January 18 Star-Tribune about this event!

Check out the article/interview in the Mendota Heights Patch!

One of the beautiful aspects of shul during the Yamim Noraim these past couple of years has been the use of the new Rabbinical Assembly mahzor. I am touched by the number of comments that have come my way over the past two years about the depth and insight which the Mahzor provides during the unfolding of the services themselves.  The name—LEV SHALEM—- means a full heart.  The intent of the editors of the Mahzor was to provide both a rich and engaging davenning opportunity for all who used the Mahzor and to ensure that during the course of shul our hearts were touched not only through the paryters in the center of the page—but the notes on the side .  They succeeded brilliantly.

Over the course of the coming year, it is my hope that we can continue our engagement with prayer in ways that prod us to incorporate the depth of prayer more fully into the depth of our lives.  I would like to begin a congregational conversation about prayer-its joys and challenges for you.  It would be very helpful for us as a shul community if each of us would take a few moments and reflect about prayer in your own lives—whether of the communal nature here in shul or moments of private prayer which nurture your soul as well.  Over the course of the Yamim Noraim, I was very intentional in using liturgical passages inside each of the four major sermons I delivered.  I did so to demonstrate that liturgy and prayer have a life outside of formal services or moments of self reflection.  In spite of the fact that prayer is a very difficult subject to speak about, and in spite of the fact that it is often times according to repeated studies of the American Jewish community  one of the least likely acts of  most Jews, it is a central part of the tradition.  And watching a a shul over the course of yontiff—I saw the sparks of the Divine found in the davenning which was occurring in shul.  So…

At the bottom of this page are a few questions to help you think about the question of Prayer.  However, more important than answering these particular questions are your own feelings about prayer, its challenges and its joys.   In the coming weeks please look for an opportunity for us to speak together about prayer inside our communal settings.

What does “prayer” mean to you?  Where do you find yourself in prayer?  Describe what you love about praying at Beth Jacob Describe what challenges you about praying at Beth Jacob.  I leave you with the words of a wonderful colleague—Rabbi Naomi Levy  who wrote..  “communal prayer is a structure.  It’s the house, with a foundation, and a roof and walls.  That is what keeps you safe.  That’s what keeps you solid. And God willing, it will be there a long time, long after we are gone.  But if you never paint it, never hang a picture, or you never put in furniture and a rug, its not a home.  It’s a house, its not a home.  You must make the house of prayer into your home filled with prayer.”

Finally, in the midst of a month of constant shul and yontiff—one other story line about us as a peole emerged as well.  The price that Israel paid for the release of Gilad Schalit was overwhelming to ponder.  Releaseing a 1000 terrorists back into the world is risk that each of us understands.  But saving a single life reminds us that at our core we are a people who believe in the infinite value of human life and reminds us also of the meaning of the state of Israel and its commitment to our collective and individual survival.  What a month for us a people as a nation and as individuals.  I pray that it is a peaceful and meaningful year for one and all.

This is a tremendous accomplishment and will help ensure that we maintain a balanced budget for the second year in a row, while also permitting us to pay down some of our accumulated debt.

I have often been impressed by the commitment of our congregation–in terms of the volunteer hours worked, support that is extended to families in need, and funds contributed. But this year-end effort has been really exceptional. It demonstrates, yet again, that Beth Jacob congregants are willing and able to step up and give generously when called upon to do so.

On behalf of the entire congregation, I want to extend our deep appreciation to our anonymous donor and also to everyone who contributed to this special fundraising effort:

Joel P. Abramson & Carole Roth-Abramson
Dominic & Orit Ackerman
Rabbi Morris Allen & Dr. Phyllis Gorin
John Allison & Rebecca Picard
Susan Alnes & Jeffrey Schulman
Davida Alperin & Rabbi Sharon Steifel
Stuart Bear & Marsha Schoenkin
Sheldon Berkowitz & Carolyn Levy
Robert & Linda Birnbaum
Avrom Bredzel & Ida Dreyfus
Kate Cavett
David & Susan Cobin
Caroljean Coventree
Anne Cronmiller & Robert Rees
John Davidson
Michael & Lorraine Davis
Vicki Dim
Anita Dinerstein
Rhoda & Ben Doneshefsky
Elaine DuFresne
Deborah Evans
Elliott & Joan Farber
Zachary & Jennifer Feinstein
Jason & Laurie Fink
Jenna Fischer
Neal & Sarah Foman
Mari Forbush
Marilyn Frank
Cynthia Freedman
Beth Friend
Eric Galatz & Lisa Tiegel
Hilde Gasiorowicz
Gordon & Beth Gendler
Alan Gilbert & Carol Hooten
Harold & Vicki Gillman
Barry & Rena Glaser
Peter Glick
David Gordon
Rabbi Yosi Gordon
Ioni & Laura Gueron
Fred Haeusler
Andrew Halpert
Rachel Hertel
Lorraine Hertz
David & Laura Honan
Lou Hurvitz
Terri Joseph
Stuart Kaufman & Esther Malabel
Edward Kerson
Donald Klass
Daniel & Nancy Klausner
Daniel Kleinberger & Carolyn Sachs
Esti Koen & Andrew Meltzer
Marguerite & Michael Krause
Miriam Krause
Matt & Laura Kushner
Lou & Muriel Lachter
Serafina Lamin
Jeanine Lange
Cynthia Launer & Will Thomas
Barbara Lehmann
Lou & Jan Leichter
Dianne Lev
David Levine & Joanne Ring
Andrea Lubov & Allan Schultz
Leora Maccabee & Michael Itman
Pete & Bea Magee
Freda Marver
James Marver
Donald Masler
Brian & Laura Millberg
Tom Miller
Leslie Morris
Sean Murphy & Katherine Carlson
Lois Newberger
Sara Lynn Newberger
Louis Newman & Rabbi Amy Eilberg
Margie Newman
Riva Nolley
Leonard Oppenheimer & Lydia Schultz
John Ostfield
Eric & Jo Pasternack
Beth Pearlman
Jim Porter & Elyse Rabinowitz
Ruth Rischall
Amy & Dan Rogovin
Jeff & Opal Rosenfeld
Abe Rosenthal
Randi Roth & Michael Blumfield
Virginia Rovainen
David & Sheila Rutman
Sam & Mary Saide and family
Larry & Sue Savett
Mark & Alison Savin
Stewart Schacter
Leonard Schloff & Linda Schloff
Lois & Larry Schochet
Gloria & Rudolph Schoen
Marlene & Michael Schoenberg
Samuel Schulhofer-Wohl
Earl Schwartz & Nina Samuels
Ann Silver
Ken Silver & Teresa Roguski
Penelope Simison
Linda Smaller & Doug Petty
Jim & Joanne Smith
Tom & Laurie Smith
Barbara Staub
Oscar & Lynette Stein
Doris Stiefel
Anne Strasser & Peter Douglas
Hannah and Michael Texler
Michael & Joanna Volk
Lisa & Keven Walker
Raysh Weiss
Ralph Witcoff
Rosanne Zaidenweber & Mary LeSourd
David & Jessica Zehavi
Robert & Marina Zigelman-Koyrakh

With best wishes for all of you for a very happy 2011,

Louis Newman
President

Beth Jacob created a Youth Education Team earlier this year to better understand what we value about our shul, study current practices and to discern potential areas for improvement. Many of you participated in focus groups for parents and high school students. Many more of you took our survey earlier this year. We are grateful to you all for your thoughtful responses.

The Youth Education Team is now moving into the next phase of our work, as Beth Jacob addresses the concerns and opportunities you expressed in the recent survey. These discussions are particularly timely in the wake of recent changes in where St. Paul area Jewish children are learning.

The Beth Jacob Board of Directors and the Youth Education Team have recently agreed that Beth Jacob should keep the following principles in mind as we pursue avenues for improvement:

1. Community. Beth Jacob has always been a supporter of communal education for afternoon education. We prefer to work collaboratively with the community.

2. Curriculum. Beth Jacob must be able to participate in defining define, monitoring and supporting a clear and wholistic Jewish learning curriculum and objectives for our children at and beyond shul. Our active encouragement of involvement with other Jewish learning institutions depends upon their ability to collaborate with us.

Other key principles include Accountability, tracking students’ learning progress and getting them extra help if needed, and Cost, to ensure our families are treated equitably compared to other shuls.

Please join us to learn more, share your ideas and concerns, and help shape the future of Jewish youth learning. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of us.

B’shalom,
Jon Bacal, Tammy Sadoff, Lisa Walker, Susan Cobin, David Itzkowitz, Lydia Schultz, Earl Schwartz, Lori Fink, Rabbi Lynn Liberman

Beth Jacob Youth Education Team

Kabbalat Shabbat: Friday at 5:30 pm
Morning Minyan: Sunday 9:00 am
Monday – Friday: 7:15 am