Congregation Beth El of Manhattan

Weekly Sabbat Evening Service of this Conservative Synagoge Of Two Testament Judaism, serving in Manhattan’s Upper East Side since 1993. Visit our website at www.bethelnyc.org Shalom!

Self-portrait of your Rabbi 9:30am 3 Nov 2020. With my sincerely deep gratitude to all who sacrificed life or limb or quality of life to protect my right to do this. - R'BLC

Shalom. This my annual note sending you the link to my position paper about Believers connecting themselves in any way to Hallowe’en. Here it is https://bethelnyc.org/blog/2020//30/can-halloween-be-kosher We Jews have a wonderful, Biblical costume holiday Purim! (Esther 9:27-28)... We do not need one that centers on necromancy and sorcery things directly forbidden by God in The Torah (Leviticus 20:27, Deuteronomy 18:11). Before cooperating with these annual Hallowe'en everybody does them rituals that surround you, I pastorally ask you to think about what you are doing, and why, and the message/testimony your choices send.

Congregation Beth El of Manhattan's 30 October 2020 Erev (Evening) Shabbat Services in New York City’s Upper East Side. 90 minute service with modern musical worship, traditional liturgies, and Sermon on the Portion: Lech Lecha Time To Move On along with more cute-to-hilarious outtakes from the broadcast preparations at the end. You are welcome to attend services and visit our website at www.bethelnyc.org. Shabbat Shalom.

Congregation Beth El of Manhattan's 23 October 2020 Erev (Evening) Shabbat Services in New York City’s Upper East Side. 90 minute service with modern musical worship, traditional liturgies, and Sermon on the Portion: Noah How and Why God Tests People along with hilarious outtakes from the broadcast preparations at the end. You are welcome to attend services and visit our website at www.bethelnyc.org. Shabbat Shalom.Bruce L. Cohen - live

For TbT Beth El of Manhattan Shabbat musical worship service in "The Rock Church" building on 62nd & Lex, prior to 2003. How tempus doth fugit ;-).

Here at Beth El, our current maxim is "Thrive, not just survive!" So, we are not only "adjusting" ... we're kind of getting "into" the 'rising above' the challenges in some cases, rising in literal elevation as well. Kadima! (Forward!)

(Rabbi/Music Director Bruce writing:) For all Beth El's musical worship crew ... a reminder of the challenges we "first generation" modern worship songwriters & composers faced in creating the "joyful minor key" sound of Two-Testament Jewish praise and worship ...

WE SAVE YOUR LIVES HELP SAVE OURS! Studies have found that about 40 percent of positive COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (nasal swab) tests are in people who... are asymptomatic or presymptomatic. And there is increasing anecdotal evidence that a small percentage of people can get COVID-19 twice. So even if you have SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, and even if you feel fine and do not believe you have been exposed, it’s important to protect yourselves, your families, your colleagues, and your patients by masking and social distancing whenever you are outside your house.~released today from Mount Sinai Health System WEAR MASKS! PLEASE! See more

(Rabbi Bruce writing:) What nation on earth lives with such continual sacrifices, merely to exist anywhere on earth. Wherever we have gone or go since before the days of Haman until Hitler and Chemielniki and Husseini - until now efforts to "annihilate" us (remove us entirely from existence) persist. May the need to name streets for gifted Jewish girls who never got to be the mature version of themselves cease to be a habit of necessity for our People. Antisemitism must stop NOW. Not later. Not after some other group alleging itself more important than us puts Jew-Killing on the backburner of human rights until some undetermined date when their agenda(e) are sufficiently fulfilled ... but NOW. Jew-hatred must stop NOW. Jew-killing must stop NOW. Not later. Not after. NOW.

Congregation Beth El of Manhattan's 27th year re-starting the Torah study cycle! Erev (Evening) Shabbat Services in New York City’s Upper East Side. 90 minute service with modern music, traditional liturgies, and Sermon: Religious Firsts May Not Be Real Firsts. You are welcome to attend services and visit our website at www.bethelnyc.org. Shanah Tovah & Shabbat Shalom.

In the 2016 Election, I (Rabbi Bruce) found this site very helpful in deciding my own identity politically, as well as which candidate's platform I actually supported. Offered to help friends trying to figure out how to vote not to foment preference for any specific candidate or party in the coming election. Just want every American over 18 to vote! - B [ www.isidewith.com ]

Congregation Beth El of Manhattan's 27th annual Simchat Torah Service in New York City. 90 minute service with high focus on rejoicing, musical worship, and savoring the presence of the Torah in our midst. Video Clips of Hakkafot past and present. Sermon The Torah Sent For You The faith-adventure that lead to this synagogue obtaining its full-sized kosher Torah Scroll - and its first Mid-Town Manhattan office; all during the early planting stage of the synagogue in the mid-1990s. Visit our website at www.bethelnyc.org - Hag Sameakh!