Congregation Beth Israel 2200 Broadway Bellingham, Washington 98225 USA
Simchat Torah at Beth Israel 2012
SOCIAL MEDIA
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FUNDRAISING
Religious School Yard Sale Sunday, May 19, 2013 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
It's time to gather up all those great items you've been saving for the Religious School's Spring Yard Sale, which will be held on Sunday, May 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. You may drop off your donations (NO electronics or adult clothing, please) to the Social Hall on Wednesday, May 15 from 5:30 to 7 p.m., on Saturday, May 18 from 7 to 8 p.m., or early on the day of the sale. See the May/June Shofar for more details.
STAND AGAINST RACISM
Congregation Beth Israel took a "Stand Against Racism" with stickers that said "Racism Hurts Everyone" at the April 26, 2013 Shabbat service:
WWU STUDENTS VISIT BI
Steve Hoffman's "American Jewish Experience" students from Western Washington University visited Congregation Beth Israel in April 2013.
PHOTO DIRECTORY COMING SOON
Our congregation has been growing, and our new photo directory will be a great way to get to know everyone, for both new and long-time members. The professional photos have been taken by Lifetouch, and we're in the process of designing and printing the new directories, which should be available later this spring. If you had your portrait taken, or submitted a photo, you'll be receiving a complimentary directory.
Rabbi in the Community
Celebration of Hope
Rabbi Samuels recently gave the closing benediction at Interfaith Coalition's Celebration of Hope Event event. Read his remarks here.
Our monthly Israeli dance sessions have been cancelled until further notice. In the meantime, if anyone gets the urge, there is Israeli Folk Dancing in Seattle. For information, go to israelidanceseattle.com
Rabbi Joshua Samuels
Congregation Beth Israel is pleased to have Rabbi Joshua Samuels as its spiritual leader. He received his ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem and Los Angeles. Originally from San Francisco, he attended University of Wisconsin-Madison, receiving a B.S. in Marketing. For six years, prior to entering rabbinical school, Samuels worked in institutional equity sales and brokerage operations in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Read more
FUNDRAISER
Eat Frozen Yogurt for Mitzvah Day!
From Friday, May 17, through Sunday, May 19, get yourself to Menchie's and buy some frozen yogurt. Menchie's will give CBI 20 percent of all sales from our congregants to support Mitzvah Day. All you have to do is bring in the attached flyer. Menchie's is located at the Lakeway Centre, 1070 Lakeway Drive.
The next meeting of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors will be announced. The Executive Committee sets the agenda for regular Board of Director's meetings. The next regular meeting of the Board of Directors will be at 7 p.m. Monday, May 13, 2013. Please direct any suggested topics for board meetings to Executive Committee members: President Jeff Jaffe, Vice President Mitch Press, Treasurer Debbie Adelstein, Secretary Melissa Schapiro, and Rabbi Joshua Samuels, ex-officio.
GET READY FOR SUMMER 2013
Thinking about Camp Kalsman?
It's never too early to start thinking about summer, especially spending it at Jewish sleep away camp! We're lucky to have Camp Kalsman in our back yard -- just an hour's drive south to Arlington.
Registration is open now for summer 2013, and it's all online at kalsman.urjcamps.org, and stay up-to-date with their blog, kalsman.rjblog.org. They're also on Facebook, where they recently posted the news that they've been selected as one of six camp/school partnerships in the Foundation for Jewish Camp's Nadiv Program. They wrote: "This program gives us the exceptional opportunity to partner with Temple de Hirsch Sinai (in Seattle) in the hiring of a leading-edge Jewish educator." For scholarship information, contact the Beth Israel office.
Sunday, February 12, 2012, in honor of Tu B'shvat, 31 Beth Israel congregants and friends (including 12 kids) gathered under cloudy skies to help reclaim part of Little Squalicum Creek Park. We planted a couple dozen trees and shrubs on the slope above the ball field, and moved several yards of wood chips up the hill with sleds to spread around the newly planted trees. The rain held off, and we had a fun post-planting nosh in the parking lot courtesy of the Beth Israel Sisterhood and Brotherhood. Thank you to everyone who participated, and to everyone who sent in checks to the Whatcom Parks and Recreation Foundation to pay for more plants!
World Jewish News
FUNDRAISING
Double your mitzvah!
Just like exercise, using Beth Israel Scrip is most successful when it’s part of your regular routine. We all buy groceries and prescriptions regularly, and many of us give gift cards as presents. Make it easy on yourselves, and have a regular Scrip order – it can be monthly, or quarterly, whatever works best for you! Our Scrip coordinator, Joan Wayne, will make sure to get the gift cards to you on a routine basis. It’s one less thing for you to have to remember, and it becomes a regular donation to our congregation! Scrip can also be used to make donations to other organizations, or people in need. Recently, a Bellingham family lost their home to a fire, and all four family members were hospitalized due to their injuries. An amazing outpouring of support found them a temporary home and furnishings. They are continuing to accept donations of gift cards to places like Fred Meyer, Haggen, the Food Co-op, The Market (formerly Cost Cutter) because food, clothing and other every day necessities will be a longer-term need. If you buy Scrip from Beth Israel, and donate it to a cause such as this, it’s a DOUBLE MITZVAH! Check with the local organizations you support, and they likely would welcome gift card donations to help out their clients. Who knew that a piece of plastic could be part of Tikkun Olam? For a complete list of participating merchants, go to www.glscrip.com, or contact Joan Wayne, jawayne2@yahoo.com; download an order form, or call the Beth Israel office at 733-8890.
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The professional photos have been taken by Lifetouch, and we're in the process of designing and printing the new directories, which should be available later this spring. If you had your portrait taken, or submitted a photo, you'll be receiving a complimentary directory. 
