Lifecycles

Our clergy officiates at both Brit Milah ceremonies for boys and naming ceremonies for girls. They seek to make this age-old tradition meaningful and relevant to our congregants. A girl’s name is officially given in the synagogue at a baby naming ceremony. A boy’s name is given during the brit milah (ritual circumcision). Traditionally Brit [...]

Consecration is a sacred ceremony marking the beginning of formal Jewish education.  At Beth Israel, students who begin school in Kindergarten or first or second grade are invited to participate in a group ceremony. We usually hold the ceremony on Simchat Torah.  Consecrants are blessed by our clergy in the presence of our community. Contact: [...]

Bar Mitzvah (for boys) and Bat Mitzvah (for girls) are among the most popular of American Jewish lifecycle events. The ceremony is usually celebrated at age 13. Here at Congregation Beth Israel, we strive to ensure that each child and each family will experience the positive power of this ritual by helping prepare each child [...]

Confirmation is a time for teenagers, primarily those in 10th grade, to explore Judaism and its values. The weekly classes  provide a supportive, non-judgmental opportunity to reflect, with our clergy and fellow students, on what matters in Judaism and how best to express it as an individual and within our community. Classes are usually held [...]

Those who wish to convert to Judaism work privately with one of our rabbis to learn Jewish religion, law, and customs. The actual amount of study required will vary from person to person (a convert who was raised as a Jew might not need any further education, for example, while another person might need several [...]

Our clergy are skilled premarital counselors, who will meet with the couple before the marriage. On the Shabbat of the week prior to the wedding ceremony, it is customary at Beth Israel for the couple to have an aliyah (the honor of reciting a blessing over the Torah reading). This aliyah is known as an [...]

Our Rabbis and Cantor offer help and support to members and their immediate families in time of death. One of our clergy will meet with the bereaved family to offer condolences and to plan for a funeral and burial. A shivah (mourning period) and shivah minyans (a short service at the shivah) are held at [...]