Just as healthy foods nourish us through the blood stream, so Jewish meditation nourishes our “soul stream.” Meditation can be transformative, taking us from the intellectual awareness of ourselves to a deeper spiritual practice that links us to Judaism in the most profound way. Each mitzvah, holy day and cycle of life has its own rhythm, nuance, taste and character. Jewish meditation is a practice of infusing their essence into our daily spiritual lives.

Ready to give it a try? Join us via Zoom (every Sunday from 2:30pm – 4pm. No previous meditation experience necessary.  This opportunity is free and open to all. Please contact Linda Wolf at linda@networktype.com for the online meeting information.

Hanukkah Pop-Up

Due to Covid and a closed Gift Shop, we had to come up with a way for our community to safely shop for Hanukkah.  Our solution? CBI’s Hanukkah Pop-Up!

Here is how it will work. You will have SEVERAL OPTIONS:

1. Call Carol Samsky, 828-676-0765, and order/charge items over the phone. Arrange for pick-up at synagogue at a mutually agreed upon time.
2. There will be limited hours that our Pop-Up Shop will be open as Hanukkah approaches. Tentative dates and times include:

Friday, Nov. 20^th – 11am to 2pm

Monday, Nov.30^th – 4 pm to 6pm

Friday, Dec. 4^th – 11am to 2pm

Monday, Dec.7^th – 4pm to 6pm

(Note:  Weekly E-Blast will update/confirm Pop-Up’s hours)

3. If the first two options don’t work for you, call CBI and speak directly to Lee or Rochelle to see if they are available and it is a convenient time for them to sell from the Pop-up Store.

There are so many items in the shop. What follows represents only a limited sampling.

Deluxe candles = $10.00; Regular Candles = $2.00; Gelt (5 pieces/Belgian/nut-free/kosher) = $1.50

Menorahs – ranging in price from $10 to $160.

Dreidels, Dreidels, Dreidels – Medium-sized = $ .25; Gel putty-filled = $7.00; Set of 4 colorful = $4.00; erasers = $1.00; “Flip” = $3.70; “Super Stacking Dreidel” = $4.50; Fillable = $ .75

Home Décor – Dreidel Plate (Nickel and stone) = $28.00; Towel Set = $ 7.00; Mugs = $5.00; Salt and Pepper = $8.00; Candle = $ .50; Bowl = $6.00; Placemats = $2.3535 ea.

Decorating for Hanukkah – Shimmering Dreidels = $6.00; Window Gels = $4.00; Wire Garland = $2.00; String Garland = $3.00; LED Window Gel = 3.75; Light Set = $5.00; Banners = $2.50

Hanukkah Craft Kits – Suncatcher Craft Kit = $3.75; Beeswax Candle Making = $15.00; Shrink Art = $5.50; Glitter Foam Shapes = $3.00; Paint your Own Star Menorah (not shown) = $4.50

Hanukkah Cards, Bags, Wrapping Paper, etc. – Small bags = $1.00; Large bags = $2.00; Cards = $1.00

More Great Gift Ideas Beautiful 1000-piece puzzles will keep the whole family busy this Hanukkah. A special Hanukkah craft project for the kids is a terrific, detailed wood menorah that you paint yourself. And, of course baking for Hanukkah – we have cookie cutters and a couple of baking sets in their own carrying cases.

So “Don’t Let the Lights Go Out”. Come see our Hanukkah Pop-Up!

 Friday, December 4, 12-1 

Our weekly online discussion group kicks off with a new topic:

ZIONISM

This movement for the development and protection of a Jewish nation in Israel has been a source of great pride and a subject of much criticism.  In our discussions of Zionism, we hope to cover such topics as

• Zionist ideology from its origins to the present

• the emergence of modern Jewish nationalism in early nineteenth century Europe

• the founding of the Zionist movement by Theodor Herzl in 1897

• the Balfour Declaration

• the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 under the leadership of David Ben-Gurion

• the Six Day War in 1967

• the rise of the “Peace Now” movement

• the election of conservative prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu

• the long-term viability of Zionist ideology in a rapidly destabilizing Middle East

Our discussions will be informed by Michael Stanislawski’s Zionism: A Very Short Introduction 2nd Edition.  Stanislawski is Professor of Jewish History at Columbia University.  His book is available at a variety of Internet outlets. 

Rather than jumping right into the Stanislawski text, I thought we could spend our first gathering reviewing what we already knew about Zionism, with our discussion being informed by several short readings from sources different from Zionism: A Very Short Introduction.  Those resources include the following, plus whatever else any of you care to bring to the table (or the ZOOM screen).

Eli Barnavi, Zionism 101:  The Jews as a nation in the land of Israel  (from My Jewish Learning, the largest nonprofit, nondenominational Jewish media organization in North America.)

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/zionism/

Zionism: A Definition of Zionism  (from the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise)

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/a-definition-of-zionism

A.B. Yehoshua,  Defining Zionism: The Belief That Israel Belongs to the Entire Jewish People  (from an article published in Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, in 2013)

https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-a-b-yehoshua-who-is-a-zionist-1.5267698

Natan Sharansky and Gil Troy, Both a Religion and a Nationality (from a November 2020 article published in Hadassah Magazine, issued by the women’s Zionist organization of America)

https://www.hadassahmagazine.org/2020/11/17/both-a-religion-and-a-nationality/

Meaning of Zionism (from an internet posting by Al Jazeera, an Arabic news and current affairs satellite TV channel)

https://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/palestineremix/zionism.html

The Art of Zionism: Ideology, Art, and the Building of the Nation  (an hour-long webinar recording by cultural anthropologist Dr. Uri Dorchin exploring the role of art in the Zionist movement. Sponsored by UCLA’s Y & s Nazarian Center for Israeli Studies.)

 https://www.international.ucla.edu/israel/article/230184.

Our informal discussion group is held online every Friday from 12-1.  All are welcome to join us, regardless of their level of expertise or attendance at previous noon study group discussions. If you have questions, or would like the Zoom link, please contact Jay Jacoby at  jbjacoby@uncc.edu.

Join us for Shabbat morning services via Zoom every other Saturday morning at 10:00am.

Join the service by going to Our Virtual Community here, then scroll down and click on the blue Saturday Morning Service button.

A New Spin on Dreidel: Celebrating Hanukkah in 2020

A whimsical celebration of community, fun and Hanukkah!

Saturday, December 12, 2020 7:00pm-8:30pm

Join us on Zoom for a “Poker hands” dreidel tournament, mixology lessons, entertainment, and a community menorah lighting.  Does not involve betting.  Prior poker or dreidel experience is not advantageous.

$36/participant.  All proceeds benefit education funds at Congregation Beth Israel.

Just as healthy foods nourish us through the blood stream, so Jewish meditation nourishes our “soul stream.” Meditation can be transformative, taking us from the intellectual awareness of ourselves to a deeper spiritual practice that links us to Judaism in the most profound way. Each mitzvah, holy day and cycle of life has its own rhythm, nuance, taste and character. Jewish meditation is a practice of infusing their essence into our daily spiritual lives.

Ready to give it a try? Join us via Zoom (every Sunday from 2:30pm – 4pm. No previous meditation experience necessary.  This opportunity is free and open to all. Please contact Linda Wolf at linda@networktype.com for the online meeting information.