There's a lot changing and happening at Beth Jacob, COVID-related and otherwise, and this week is packed with updates!

This summer (kayitz) we will offer ample opportunities for connection (kesher) -- the kind of meaningful engagement with each other, socializing and learning that is what the Beth Jacob community is all about. Although there is much excitement about the building being open, we know that Beth Jacob is so much more than a building: It is all of us. We hope that these opportunities, some of which will take place at the shul, some of which will be on Zoom, and some of which will be in beautiful outdoor spaces in and around the Twin Cities, will foster the sense of belonging and at-homeness that makes Beth Jacob such a special part of our lives. We have a LOT of activities planned for this summer, because we’re so excited to finally see everyone and spend time together! We hope to connect with all of you! 
Kabbalat Shabbat Service: 6 pm EVERY Shabbat (weather permitting) on the Beth Jacob Lawn. WEekly Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat services will begin at the park with the June 25th potluck below.

Outdoor Shabbatluck Dinner: 5:30 pm Every Other Shabbat
Our first “Shabbatluck” dinner will be on June 25 at Rogers Lake Park in Mendota Heights. The remaining dates are at Beth Jacob: July 9 & 23, August 6 & 20

Every Saturday, we will, of course, have Shabbat Services in shul and online. Kiddush kits will be available to those who ordered BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON, and we will have kiddush on the lawn. Bring chairs/blankets if you can, we have a limited number of folding chairs.

On two Saturdays this summer, we are trying something new: Second Saturday, Third Meal. Join together on the lawn for a Shabbat Seuda Shelishi (3rd meal). BYO Dinner, we’ll provide drinks. If you would like to bring your dinner before Shabbat, we are happy to store it for you in the walk-in cooler in a sealed bag. These second Saturdays are July 10 and August 14, each one at 6 pm.

We’re bringing back Game Day! Our first one is June 19 after kiddush. We will be outside, unless the weather is yucky.
If you are looking for non-Shabbat activities, we’ve got plenty:

Movie Night: June 15 at 6:30 pm: Watch Operation Finale, about the arrest of Adolf Eichmann in Argentina. In person at Beth Jacob or on line at Netflix. Discussion to follow. Sign up at Beth-Jacob.org/Movie to get the link for the discussion.

Bike Ride to Minnehaha Falls: July 4 at 9:30 am
We will have three routes: short, medium and long, all starting at Beth Jacob. At Minnehaha Falls, we will have snacks and a water refill.

BBQ and Fireworks at the Fischers July 4, 5 pm
The Fischers welcome you to their backyard on the “other side of the river” for a Kosher BBQ with plenty of veggie options. Those who want to stay up late and brave the mosquitoes will walk to the nearby fireworks show.

Jewish Humor Navigates American Identity (Part 2, By Popular Demand!): July 22, 7 pm online and in person. So beloved was Natan Paradise’s first humor presentation, that he agreed to do another. Come prepared to laugh!

Blueberry Picking - How fun is that? July 25 at 10 am: Everyone of any age is welcome to come to Blue Ridge U-Pick in River Falls to pick all the blueberries you can eat! Pick extra, and we will turn them into next weeks’ kiddush dessert! Blue Ridge is opening early just for us! Bring a lunch and gather together for a meal.

Blueberry Baking: July 25 from 2-4 in the Beth Jacob kitchen. What else are we supposed to do with all those blueberries? Let’s bake bars, cookies, scones, tarts, crumble… and we’ll serve those goodies at next week’s kiddush!

Shul Beach Day & Frolic on Sunday, August 8 from 11-3 at Schulze Lake Beach in Lebanon Hills Park. Bring your own lunch, sunscreen and towel, we’ll bring the beach balls.

Upcoming Programs, Dates TBA:
  • Canoeing on the lake
  • Kabbalat Shabbat in the Park for families with young children with Minnesota Mammalehs
  • St. Paul Saints game

Yes, funny you should ask, we DO need volunteers to help with these events-please contact Frances@Beth-Jacob.org
Summer Ongoing Learning:
  • Morning Mishnah will continue at 8 am on Wednesdays after minyan. On Zoom until further notice.

  • Parashat Hashavuah will continue on Thursdays at 11 am in person beginning on June 17.

NEW Summer Learning Series - All classes are Monday evenings at 7:30, on the Beth Jacob Lawn:

  • Monday Margaritas and Midrash: A Three Part Series - June 21, 28, July 5 with Rabbi Rubin.

  • "For I Desire Kindness": Rabbinic Approaches to Reorienting and Reintegrating After Upheaval: July 12, 19 and 26 with Rabbi Tamar.

  • Elul Zman: Reflect. Recommit. Re-engage: August 9, 16, 23 and 30 with Rabbi Rubin and Rabbi Tamar.
Children's Programming

Minyan Katan 
We will meet outdoors on the lawn at Beth Jacob at 9:30 am* every Shabbat. While the service is geared towards younger children (ages 5 and under), siblings and other children who aren't yet at overnight camp are welcome to join us! You may wish to bring a beach blanket like this one or some camping chairs, as the grass may be wet. We are looking into getting a sun-shade or tent, but it is unclear if we'll have one by June 12th, so we also recommend bringing water bottles, hats and sunscreen. For those who don't feel comfortable with in-person activities, there will be a Shabbat video available on our YouTube channel for little ones each week as well!

*Please note the time change.

Kayitz Kefi/Summer Fun '21
Recognizing that each family’s ability to attend and comfort-level with participation in these opportunities will vary quite a lot, for this summer, we plan to offer some outdoor summer programming, whenever possible, with the option to move indoors in case of heavy rain.

Our Kayitz Kefi/Summer Fun program will run every other week from June through August, beginning on June 12th. Our wonderful Iyunim teacher, Tauby Mintz, will lead activities geared for children in grades PK-4, with younger or older children welcome to participate as well. We may add more dates based on interest and Tauby's availability, but for now the dates will be:

June 12, 26; July 10, 17, 31; August 14, 21

The program will begin immediately following Minyan Katan. The schedule will be roughly as follows:
9:30 am - Minyan Katan
10:00 am - Torah Service (inside) / Song Circle (outside) 
10:15 am - Outdoor snack
10:30 am - Kayitz Kefi Programming lead by Tauby
11:30 am - Pick-up/Families who want to can go into sanctuary for end of service

In Kayitz Kefi, we'll explore through play, song and story the themes of Earth/Adamah, Water/Mayim, Wind/Ruach, Sky/Shamayim. Each theme will incorporate Hebrew vocabulary and connect to a Torah story as well. As we engage in these themes, we'll also be working on helping reorient ourselves to shul spaces and social interactions, as well as processing the experience of being in a kehillah together and what that means. The atmosphere is meant to feel more relaxed, similar to camp, and because we will be primarily outside, we ask that children bring the following each time:

Hat
Water bottle
Sunscreen
Bathing suit
Towel

Parents are invited to participate in all programming along with their children, and this may be especially helpful for younger children during the first few weeks. This may also be an opportunity for young children to have been at home throughout the pandemic to practice spending time away from parents in small spurts.  

On the alternate weeks when we do not have Kayitz Kefi programming, families are invited to spend time outdoors at shul together, for a Shabbat Rest & Play day, which will still include Minyan Katan.

All children in our community are welcome to attend and we will try to make adjustments if needed to make people feel comfortable! In order for us to plan appropriately for our programming this summer, please help us out by signing up via email at rabbitamar@beth-jacob.org. We realize not everyone will feel ready for this setting right away. If you think you might attend later in the summer, but not right away, please just let me know. We also want to connect with each other this summer no matter what the venue, so let's talk if there are other ways to connect that will work better for your family.
Watch your Beth Jacob email, Kol Ya'akov, and Service Sheet for more information as it becomes available!