Melissa Schapiro

About Melissa Schapiro

http://bethisraelbellingham.org

Posts by Melissa Schapiro:

Book Discussion

By in Adult Programs, Uncategorised, Uncategorized

BLACK POWER JEWISH POLITICS BOOK COVE

 Monday, Aug. 16, 2021 and Thursday, Aug. 25, 2021
Both sessions at 7 p.m. on Zoom

Professor Marc Dollinger’s talk on Jews and the Civil Rights Movement was well-received by CBI congregants on July 1. If you missed it, you can access the video on our website.

We will follow up that conversation with a two-session book study series on Dollinger’s book, Black Power, Jewish Politics: Reinventing the Alliance in the 1960s, on Aug. 16, 2021 and Aug. 25, 2021 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. The book charts the transformation of American Jewish political culture from the Cold War liberal consensus of the early postwar years to the rise and influence of Black Power-inspired ethnic nationalism. Undermining widely held beliefs about the black-Jewish alliance, Dollinger describes a new political consensus, based on identity politics, that drew blacks and Jews together and altered the course of American liberalism.
The first session, on August 16, will be led by Dr. Sarah Zarrow, Assistant Professor of History at WWU, who holds an endowed chair in Jewish History at Western. Professor Dollinger will tell about the back story during his session on August 25. Both sessions are at 7 p.m.

Kesher Library

By in Kesher Center for Jewish Learning

Students enjoy the Kesher library in January 2020.
The Kesher Youth Library has acquired tons of new books and is under construction!
We are super excited for the library makeover, and for how much we are going to utilize this space when we return in person.
Our deepest thanks go to Tamar Clarke and Joan Wayne for all their hard work organizing, building, and now remodeling this soon to be revealed space!

Author Interview/Q&A

By in Adult Programs, Adults

Author Jonathan Ned Katz talks about his newly released book (May 18, 2021), The Daring Life and Dangerous Times of Eve Adams. Congregant and Katz’s longtime friend, Emily Weiner, interviews Jonathan and moderates a Q&A (watch above). Historian Katz uncovers the until-now forgotten story of radical lesbian Eve Adams and her long-lost book Lesbian Love, which led to her arrest, deportation and eventual murder by the Nazis at Auschwitz.

To purchase The Daring Life and Dangerous Times of Eve Adams from Village Books (and simultaneously support Congregation Beth Israel’s education program), click here.

This CBI Programming Committee event is co-sponsored by Village Books and two units of Western Washington University: Western Libraries’ Heritage Resources and The Ray Wolpow Institute for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Crimes Against Humanity.

Author/Poetry Reading

By in Adult Programs

CBI congregant Richard Widerkehr reads from and discusses his latest collection of poetry, “At the Grace Cafe,” on May 10, 2021. His new book of poems is available at Village Books.
“Widerkehr’s writing has been described as having: a freshness and ease of manner . . . and at times a kind of other worldly aura, ‘that strange gift from the other side’ ” (Gayle Kaune, author of “All the Birds Awake”)

Women Of the Wall

By in Members Only

anatwithrabbijacobs2017

Sunday, April 4 at 10 a.m. Anat Hoffman, executive director of the Israel Religious Action Center, spoke with Congregation Beth Israel via Zoom about the fight for gender equality in Israeli society. Hoffman founded and has led the advocacy organization Women of the Wall for the past three decades. Her talk to CBI is titled, “The Cracks in the Wall Let the Light In: The Battle for Equal Rights at the Western Wall.” For more information about Anat Hoffman and her work, see the front page article in the March/April Shul Shofar.

Watch a recording of the April 4, 2021 event here:

Passover Greeting 2021

By in Passover, Passover

Images from a Passover seder.

March 18, 2021

Dear Friends,

Who would have thought last year at this time that we would be celebrating a second consecutive virtual seder? As confusing as life was near the beginning of quarantine and stay-at-home orders, we were at least hopeful that Covid-19 would be a thing of the past a few months later. Yet, here we are, once again not fully able to gather together. However, unlike last year, we can see an end in sight. The rollout of vaccines is ramping up and restrictions are easing. We sense a return to “normalcy” in the near future. At this moment in time, we are not quite where we want to be. We are actually in a liminal state, or in-between mitzrayim and the Promised Land.

Nevertheless, our Jewish tradition in general, and Pesach in particular, has great wisdom to share with us as we navigate this liminality. Let’s consider the seder song, Dayenu. Dayenu is our yearly reminder to never forget all the miracles in our lives.

If we are free to celebrate Pesach in the comfort of our own home, but not with friends and family—Dayenu! It would be enough.

If we are able to celebrate Pesach with friends and family, virtually, but not in person—Dayenu! It would be enough.

If we are able to celebrate Pesach, in person, with some friends and family, but not with the whole community—Dayenu! It would be enough.

You see, Dayenu is a reminder that we never forget all the small miracles in our lives. No matter the circumstances, our Jewish tradition teaches us that we are always able to seek a new reason to be grateful, a reason to say Dayenu!

What an encouraging message during such challenging times. As we begin to prepare for our festival of freedom by cleaning our homes and making family recipes, may we also work on cultivating an attitude where we express appreciation for each and every goodness that is bestowed upon us. I cannot think of a better way to get ready for Pesach this year.

I hope you will join your Beth Israel family for our second night community seder on Sunday, March 28 at 5:30 p.m. Andrea Shupack and I are looking forward to seeing you, even if it is through our computer screens.

If you would like to join our community, please reach out to the office for the Zoom and haggadah link.

Chag pesach sameach,

— Rabbi Joshua Samuels

Anti-Racist Pledge

By in Tikkun Olam, Uncategorised, Uncategorized

antiracist rally pic summer 2020

Congregation Beth Israel, centered in Bellingham, Washington, stands with Jews all over the world in affirming the principles of equal justice and equal respect underlying the declaration that Black Lives Matter. Believing in the dignity of every individual, we deplore the structural racism that has denied people of color the rights and opportunities enjoyed by their fellow citizens. We strongly support the Constitutional right to peaceful assembly and condemn all forms of violence against peaceful protestors.

Our Bible and our sages, our liturgy and our vision of a just society, teach us the value of every human being. The centuries of defamation and oppression Jews have suffered help us understand the suffering people of color have endured in the United States from the founding of our country to the present day.

Those of us who are white Americans may have wittingly or unwittingly contributed to that suffering. We will work to eradicate any traces of racism in our lives as a congregation and as individuals, and will take any steps within our power to promote the equality our founding documents proclaim as the right of all people.

— Approved by CBI Board of Directors, Nov. 10, 2020

 

Biennial

By in URJ

Join with thousands of Jews from across North America and around the world to learn, pray, share ideas, dance and sing, hear from inspiring speakers and the leaders of our Movement; reunite with old friends, create new connections, and make decisions about the policies of the Reform Movement.

URJ Biennial 2019 is over, but you can still view videos of the experience — 5,000 Jews from across North America and around the world gathered to learn, pray, share ideas, dance and sing, heard from inspiring speakers and the leaders of our Movement; reunited with old friends, created new connections, and made decisions about the policies of the Reform Movement.

Watch the videos of the 2019 URJ Biennial plenary sessions, services and Shabbat song sessions at urjbiennial.org

Make sure to watch the Friday morning plenary session where the URJ and the RAC launched our 2020 Civic Engagement Campaign and vote on social justice resolutions, including one on reparations for U.S. slavery and ongoing racism.

Make plans to  join us at the next URJ Biennial, December 8-11, 2021 in Washington D.C. (National Harbor)!

Reform response to Jan. 6

By in URJ

capitol image

Reform Jewish Leaders on Capitol Insurrection and White Supremacy (click image):

Central Conference of American Rabbis Statement condemning assaults on American Democracy (click image):

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HOW TO CONTACT US

Congregation Beth Israel
751 San Juan Boulevard 
Bellingham, Washington 98229 
Phone: (360) 733-8890

Email: office@bethisraelbellingham.org

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