Nothing says “Happy Sukkot” like decorating the sukkah and a pizza dinner, right? Join us on Wednesday October 16 for decorating fun and a community dinner in the B’ShERT sukkah.

Starting at 6 pm you can let your artistic side run wild. It’s only our second year with our extra-big sukkah this year, and that means extra inspiration and extra decorating.

Once you’ve had your creative fill, get your belly full as well with pizza dinner in the sukkah followed by a short service to welcome the holiday. What a wonderful way to end the weekend!

Following on the heels of our Rosh Hashanah festivities and Yom Kippur… fastivities(?), this is another great way for families—members and prospective members alike—to get to know each other in a low-key, social setting.

What: Sukkah decorating followed by dinner in the B’ShERT Sukkah

When: Wednesday October 16 at 6 pm

Where: The Sukkah at 83 Marlborough Road, Ditmas Park Brooklyn

Open to all—members and non-members alike—no tickets needed!

Join us on Thursday, October 3rd, for a music-filled Rosh Hashanah family service for families with kids from birth to brit mitzvah-age. Kids will learn about the meaning of Rosh Hashanah, sing songs, and generally have a fun time in a relaxed atmosphere.

Then, after the service, walk with us to Prospect Park where we’ll have a short Tashlich service by the lake and ritually rid ourselves of our sins. (And by “sins,” we mean birdseed, which the ducks and geese are waiting for.) From there, we’ll stay in the park for field games like corn hole, ring toss, frisbee bottle bash, and more.

This has become an annual tradition as we all get into the swing of the new school year. It’s a perfect opportunity for parents and kids to get to know each other in a relaxed setting. Families who want to learn more about B’Shert can chat with long-time members whose kids have grown up at the congregation.

All in all, our Rosh Hashanah events are a great way to get a feel for what the B’Shert community is all about.

Here’s the day’s lineup:
October 3, 2024
1:30 pm: Rosh Hashanah Family Service at B’Shert
2:30 pm: Walk together to Prospect Park for Tashlich & field games
2:45 pm: Tashlich Service
3:00 pm: Play field games and get to know other B’Shert families

See you there!

Welcome to the first day of religious school, this Saturday, September 7th at 9:30 am!

Our Saturday religious school serves students from kindergarten through Brit Mitzvah (usually 7th or 8th grade). Shabbat morning classes focus on community-building and Jewish learning in a lively, interactive setting. The curriculum is expeditionary-style on a three-year cycle. Our 2024-25 religious school curriculum focuses on global Jewish traditions.

The first day of religious school offers a chance to learn about the curriculum, meet our Rabbi, Heidi Hoover and our Education Director, Jessie Sander, and all of our fabulous religious school teachers. You will also get to meet members of our synagogue community, with our committee chairs sharing information about what they offer and how you can get involved.

Last but not least, bagels for breakfast!

PS We take registrations the first day, but if you want to register in advance or fill out our interest form, we’d appreciate it, since it helps us with our planning.

Hi Religious School Families,

We’re expanding our beloved Tot Shabbat program!

Join us for a preview on Saturday June 1 at 10 am when our songleader, Ben Romano, will lead a music-filled Tot Shabbat service, perfect for ages 0 to 5.

Then, starting on September 7, 2024, Ben will lead Tot Shabbat every Saturday at 10 am.

For the younger, not-yet-in-school set, Rabbi Hoover leads a 30-minute Tot Shabbat service every Friday morning at 10 am during the school year. It’s a joyful way to get ready for the weekend and Shabbat!

But read on, because there actually is much more to say about celebrating Purim with B’ShERT.

Join the B’ShERT community for a day of Purim celebration on Saturday, March 23. Here’s what’s in store:

11 am – Family Megillah Reading with lots of noise and laughter and costumes, leading right into…

12:30 pm – PURIM CARNIVAL!!!!

This afternoon extravaganza will feature:

• Carnival Games: Rubber duck water table fishing, jelly bean count, fishbowl penny drop, beanbag toss, ring toss
• Arcade prizes kids can “buy” with their game winnings
• Food: Pizza, hamantaschen, juice, pretzels (and possibly egg creams)
• Face painting
• Costume contest, judged by our very own Jessie Sander, Education Director
• Raffle

Can’t wait to see you there!

Let’s have a latke fun together!

Join the B’ShERT community in Brooklyn for a weekend of celebration to kick off Hanukkah, with a lineup of family events that’ll leave you saying, “Hey, Gimel more!”

Friday, December 8

10 am: Tot Shabbat
For kids ages 0 to 5: a great a chance to meet other kids, caregivers, and parents in the neighborhood. (And a nice inside activity as the days get colder.)

6 pm: Potluck dinner with dreidel games and jelly donuts
Get your annual latke fix without filling your apartment with frying oil!

7:15 pm: Service with bring-your-own-menorah lighting
A music-filled service to welcome the holiday and Shabbat

Saturday, December 9

9:45 am: Religious School open house with Hanukkah activities
An opportunity for kids ages 5 to 12 to check out our religious school for a day. There are going to be art activities like t-shirt making and gelt-making, and Hannukah trivia games. Then during the Shabbat service, we’ll sing all your favorite Hannukah songs.

5 pm: A Hannukah evening outside
We’ll brighten the dusk outside with more candle lighting and donuts, plus hot chocolate, Havdalah, and stargazing through a telescope!

Can’t wait to see you to celebrate the start of Hanukkah!

This Saturday, October 21, spend the morning at B’ShERT for two special events:

A conversation on The Jewish Deli, 9:45 am

Join Ben Nadler, the author and illustrator of The Jewish Deli: An Illustrated Guide to the Chosen Food for a conversation on “A delightful celebration of Jewish delicatessens in an accessible comics format, full of history and humor, and guaranteed to make you hungry.” Taylor & Co. Books will be on hand selling copies.

Religious School Open House, 9:45 am

While some folks are envisioning pastrami and rye, kids ages 5 to 12 are invited to try out our religious school. They’ll join a class of their age group to explore a classic Genesis story—Noah and the ark!

Our K-2 class will learn about kindness to animals and make a rainbow craft, while our 3rd-5th graders will explore a short midrash about Noah before they venture into the Jewish practice of baby namings. And our 6th-8th graders will study a modern interpretation of the Noah story in which we ask: What was Noah’s wife thinking(!) and how can we understand the flood better from her perspective?

Then, at 11 am, all are welcome to join our family-friendly Shabbat services in our historic sanctuary.

See you Saturday!

Make Caramel Apples + a B’ShERT B’Shirt!

To get into the mood of Simchat Torah, and prepare for the festivities, join us for some creative, messy, tasty fun this Friday evening, October 6 at 6:30 pm.

All families are invited to come early for Simchat Torah services on Friday evening for two activities: caramel-apple making (we provide the ingredients, you make the mess), and t-shirt making. For the t-shirts, we’ll provide the plain t-shirts, fabric paints, and stencils; and every kid will have a chance to make their own B’Shert t-shirts (B’Shirts!) to wear at events in the future.

Then we’ll head to the Simchat Torah service, where we get to dance around with the torah and see the entire scroll unrolled, filling almost our entire sanctuary. This is a rare chance to see the full torah text all at once and is not to be missed!

Time: Friday October 6 at 6:30 pm (activities), 7:15 pm (service)
Place: 83 Marlborough Road

See you there for a joyous evening!