Émigré events in June and July include: Adult B'nei Mitzvah Class (6/5; 6/12; 6/19); My Jewish Discovery (6/8); Biblical Characters in World Art (6/8); Gan Haggim (6/9); Torah Study in Russian with Rabbi Ilana Baird (6/13; 6/27; 7/11; 7/25); Adult B'nei Mitzvah Service (6/22); Chavurah Discussion Club (6/24; 7/11).
Community
Community
Community
Congregation Beth Am's warm and welcoming community offers something for everyone! Whether you want to engage with others in learning, worship, or social justice activities, a benefit of our large congregation is our ability to offer myriad small-group activities to help you grow and connect.
Read moreFinding points of connection strengthens our community experience on Shabbat, on the High Holy Days, and whenever our congregation comes together to celebrate, to comfort, or to contemplate our past, present and future.
Please browse the links to our various community groups. Our staff is happy to make introductions, to help make connections or to help start a new group if your interest is not yet represented. Making the effort will ensure that Beth Am becomes your home away from home -- the place where there's always a friend to sit with, the place where you belong. Welcome!
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Experience Beth Am at a Special Tot Shabbat Event — Beth Am is continuing to offer our poplular introductory plan for families whose oldest child is starting Kindergarten, which we call our Aleph Bet membership program. Through the Aleph Bet program, you can register for our outstanding youth education programs, and the privileges of full membership will be included with your registration fees at no additional cost.
Good time to use appreciated stocks to make charitable gifts — Did you know that you can make charitable gifts, including your Beth Am membership pledge, by donating appreciated stocks? With the Dow sitting at a record 15,000+ mark, this could be a good time to avoid potential capital gains taxes while fulfilling charitable pledges. If you own marketable securities that you have held for at least one year, and whose value has increased, you can deduct the full market value and avoid paying capital gains taxes. This benefit could mean that you can make your donation for as little as fifty cents on the dollar!
Sunday, June 23, 4:00 pm, Beit Kehillah
Cantor Lauren Bandman with Russell Norman on Piano — Take a musical tour through the sacred texts, the liturgy and the modern pieces most often heard at end-of-life rituals and remembrances. Explore the significance and relevance of chosen texts. Experience the uncanny way that music can touch our deepest feelings. Free -- all are welcome.
Tuesday, June 25, 8:00 am to 9:30 am, Hobee's, 4224 El Camino Real, near Arastradero Rd., Palo Alto
Start your Morning with BAM — Start your morning with breakfast and a lively discussion by joining your fellow Beth Am men. Rabbi Prosnit usually leads our discussion. This event is open to all the men of Beth Am, so bring a friend. Meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Contact Jay Hirsh for more information.
Tuesday, June 25, and Every Last Tuesday of Each Month, 7:00 PM, Hobee’s, 4224 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (near Arastradero)
Is there anything on your mind that you wish to discuss? Come meet with Beth Am President Ben Lloyd for a chat over dessert at Hobee's. You can always reach Ben via e-mail at president@betham.org.
Saturday, June 29; Sunday, July 21; Saturday, August 17; and Saturday, September 21, Various Locations
Parents of College Age Students/Young Adults — This group is designed for parents entering a new phase of life, when children have left home for college or beyond. Come meet other parents who are entering this exciting, sometimes challenging, new phase of life. Learn about our upcoming summer and fall events.
Childbirth Class with a Jewish Twist — Mazel tov! It’s a... Jewish childbirth class! Beth Am and our partner congregation, Kol Emeth, recently received a three-year grant from the Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund to launch the Jewish Birth Network (JBN). The JBN aims to engage a population of first-time expectant parents who would not otherwise actively pursue Jewish experiences for their families until years later in their children’s lives, if at all. We will offer childbirth classes infused with Jewish content to expectant parents. Stay tuned for more details as the program progresses.
Friday, August 3, 4 p.m., URJ Camp Newman, 4088 Porter Creek Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
With Beth Am Youth Director Erin Goldstrom — Beth Am members and staff are warmly invited to share a Shabbat at Camp Newman! Come enjoy a reception with Camp Newman directors, Shabbat dinner, singing and dancing.
Tuesday, August 6, 5:00 pm, AT&T Park, San Francisco
WAITLIST ONLY! OUR TICKET BLOCK IS SOLD OUT! — OUR BLOCK IS SOLD OUT! JOIN THE WAITLIST: Join Beth Am Men and the Bay Area Jewish community at the Giants' annual Jewish Heritage Night. Your Special Event package includes a seat in one of the Jewish Heritage sections for the 7:15 pm game versus the Milwaukee Brewers, a limited-edition Jewish-themed item, and admission to the Jewish Heritage Night pre-game party in Seals Plaza from 5-7 p.m.
Friday, August 16, Service 6:15 PM, Outdoor Chapel; Oneg Shabbat and Program, 7:30 PM, Beit Kehillah
Bring Your Friends and Family and Neighbors Who Are Interested (or should be interested!) in Joining Congregation Beth Am — Save the date! Summer is here, 5773 is winding down and 5774 is just around the corner! Know someone who might want to join Congregation Beth Am? Then be sure to save Friday, August 16 for the prospective members Oneg Shabbat!
Sundays, September 29, October 20 and December 15, 2013; 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM, Beit Kehillah
Are you a mother raising Jewish children…but you’re not Jewish? Don't do it alone! — The Mothers Circle Mini-Course provides FREE education and support for women of other religious backgrounds who are raising Jewish children. The course is coming to Beth Am this fall. This three-session course will focus on Jewish rituals, ethics and the how-to’s of creating a Jewish home. Come be a part of this warm and nurturing environment, and feel empowered to take on the responsibility of raising children in Judaism. Mothers in all family constellations are welcome.
Generating Funds for Beth Am Every Time You Shop On-Line — Beth Am has partnered with local company Social Transactions to generate funds from the on-line shopping done by our members – at no extra cost to you. Social Transactions was conceived by veteran nonprofit fundraising professionals and uses internet browser technology to pay organizations a commission every time its supporters buy something online from one of its 20,000 affiliated merchants. Just download the small Social Transactions browser extension to each computer you use for shopping, and Beth Am will receive a percentage of every dollar you spend.
Supporting Jewish life in the Former Soviet Union — We enjoy a special relationship with our sister Reform congregation, also called Beth Am, in Poltava, Ukraine. Thanks to our community’s generosity, Beth Am of Poltava is able to help its members emerge out of the generations of darkness in the former Soviet Union, to re-discover their Judaism. We welcome your donation to the Poltava Fund in celebration of a family simchah or to honor a loved one.
Marah Herbach, Greg Marcus and Steve Ruvolo — Meet the three new members of the Beth Am board of directors!
, Congregation Beth Am, Poltava, Ukraine
May 2013 — 35 young Russian participants came together to celebrate Shabbat and to answer three questions...
Resources
Congregation Beth Am • 26790 Arastradero Rd., Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 • (650) 493-4661 • Contact Us 