Beit Binah

  • Shalom Wonderful Beit Binah Families,

    Summer is almost here! As we gear up for the end of the school year and the coming of an exciting season of fun, sun and outdoor adventures, it is a great time to look back at our amazing school year and celebrate what we have accomplished as a community! We are a unique and special group of people who care for each other, celebrate together and wrestle with life’s challenges together. As we enter the holiday of Shavuot this evening, I am reminded that this is the holiday that solidifies us as a people. Aside from being one of our three harvest holidays, Shavuot also commemorates the giving of the torah at Sinai. We are told that each of us was present at Sinai, experiencing as individuals within a community, each in our own way, but as a whole. That is what is so special about being a part of the Jewish community; we are unique individuals that can express ourselves as one big community with a purpose.

    I have felt a spiritual surge so powerful from this community in the past month; I think I have had a few “Sinai moments” myself. This past weekend was the Kol Shofar retreat, where an amazing group of Kol Shofar families descended on Camp Newman and had the time of our lives! What a weekend of chilling in the sun, singing and celebrating with friends. I just hope all of you who were not able to attend can come next time! This coming Sunday, May 19th is our annual Ruach Day Celebration, where we spend the last day of Beit Binah honoring our students, teachers and the Kol Shofar community as a whole! We will begin with a special Bagel Nosh at 8:30, followed by a community t’filah and honoring ceremony in the Beit Knesset. We will then send kids to their final class sessions while parents can participate in a unique interfaith conversation with Doug Huneke, Pastor Emeritus Westminster Presbyterian Church, on a life of compassion and caring, moderated by Rabbi Chai Levy with Rabbi Susan Leider. Than come and join the whole community for games, music, BBQ, and more on the Kol Shofar plaza! Ruach day begins at 8:30 and continues until 12:30, after the BBQ. Please be sure your child comes on time for the program at 9:00 the latest.  I look forward to closing the school year with ruach this weekend!

    B’shalom,

    Jonathan Emanuel

  • Shalom!
    We look forward to seeing everyone in the new school year. 

 

 

  • SAVE THE DATE
    Friday, May 31 
    5:30 PM
    L’dor V’Smore Shabbat (Generation to Generation) – Details
    Join the Kol Shofar Community for Dinner & Davening (and a little dancing) All generations will be leading the service & eating dinner together.
    Cost:     Adults $15, Children ages 3-12 $8, Children ages  0-3 FREE
    RSVP to Marcy Levey Klassen by May 24 or call 388-1818  x100.
    Please include the following information:
    Names of adults, children, including their ages & payment information.
    All children are encouraged to participate in our Shabbat Service. Please contact     Rabbi Susan Leider to let us know if your child or children are interested.


  • Camp Ramah

    Please click HERE to get information regarding an awesome 2013 summer season at Camp Ramah!
    The Camp Ramah folks are hard at work planning for this summer. Please check out the flyer.

  • The mission of our school is to instill in our children a sense of kedusha — the holiness of being a Jew.
    Religious education and family involvement at synagogue and at home reinforce each other in integrating Jewish values and traditions into a child’s life. Our school program follows Conservative Judaism’s educational guidelines in accomplishing the following goals:
    • To teach Jewish values as a way of life.
    • To teach synagogue skills, including reading Hebrew and understanding the tefillot (prayers), in order to feel comfortable in the synagogue.
    • To teach our history, cultural heritage, including contemporary Israel in order to foster Jewish identity and participation in the world Jewish community.
    The overall goal of the Beit Binah Curriculum is to produce Jews who are…
    • Proud of their heritage
    • Excited about being Jewish
    • Observe, understand, and practice Jewish traditions
    • Familiar with rituals and customs associated with Shabbat and holidays
    • Knowledgeable and comfortable with the structure and content of the siddur
    • Participate in tefillot (prayer)
    • Understand the important Jewish values and mitzvot (commandments)
    • See themselves as an important link in the chain of Am Yisrael and affirm their historic bond to the Land of Israel.
    CONTACT US

    For Beit Binah information & application, please contact:
    Jonathan Emanuel
    Director of Education
    415.388.1818 ext.105 • jemanuel@kolshofar.org

    As always, feel free to call or email me with any questions or concerns. If you need me during Beit Binah hours, call me on the Beit Binah cell phone(415) 686-7922.

    And please help Kol Shofar support Afikomen Judaica in Berkeley, the best location for Jewish books, music and other Judaica in the West Coast!