Welcome to
Congregation Beth
Israel
Mission Statement: Congregation Beth Israel seeks to be a welcoming, diverse Jewish community, that promotes spiritual growth, lifelong learning, charity, and social justice.
Congregation Beth Israel provides Charlottesville, Albemarle and surrounding counties with a welcoming Jewish environment in which people can study, worship, socialize and take part in helping others. CBI offers both Reform and Conservative worship services.
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"The Ties That Bind" Slideshow
In memory of long-time CBI member Roger Stein (1932-2010), Debbie Gordon Patashnik created a wall-hanging titled "Ties That Bind" for display in O'Mansky Hall, which was dedicated during Kiddush luncheon on Saturday, March 24. Jenny Clay and the Patashnik Family hosted the Kiddush luncheon in Roger's memory. A slideshow of photographs from the event can be found below.
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Online Oneg and Kiddush Sign-Up
CBI has created a new online calendar that anyone can use to sign up to host an Oneg or Kiddush! Just click on the link to open the calendar, add your name on the date you wish to host, be sure to save the document, and that's it! Hosting an Oneg or Kiddush is a generous and thoughtful way to contribute to the CBI community. Celebrate a birthday, wedding, or birth of a child; congratulate a fellow member on an achievement; commemorate a loved one, or just use it as a chance to meet your fellow members.
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Camp CBI 2012 Registration Now Open!
Camp CBI 2012 registration is now open! Camp CBI is a place for campers to create positive Jewish experiences which will last a lifetime. Our camp offers an enriched atmosphere in which Jewish themes and activities are interwoven into programming through music, crafts, sports, field trips, swimming and more! Camp CBI offers something for everyone; from preschoolers to high schoolers. Camp CBI is a fun, interactive and exciting way for your child to spend their summer. Register today and take advantage of our early bird savings! Questions? Please contact Shelby Apple (shelbyapple@yahoo.com) for campers entering grades 1-9 or Zac Price (preschool@cbicville.org) for preschool campers.
Please click here to register your child for Camp CBI Summer 2012!
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by Rabbi Rick Schechter It’s the black sheep of the Jewish calendar—unfortunately. Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, is a holy day often overshadowed and overlooked in the contemporary Jewish world. How could this have happened? It had such an auspicious start. The Torah considers Shavuot a major Jewish festival—right up there with Passover and Sukkot. In ancient times, it was thus distinguished as one of the three pilgrimage festivals in which all of Israel would travel to Jerusalem to celebrate. Even more so, after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 C.E., the ancient rabbis renewed and deepened Shavuot’s [...]
by Rabbi Neil Hirsch While at this past year’s URJ Biennial, I attended the launch of the movement’s Campaign for Youth Engagement. As I heard the different stories, as colleagues and friends stood up and spoke of what’s going on with teens in their congregations, it resonated with my own experiences, and I realized that we all share in our struggles together. We have students and families dedicated to Jewish education that leads up to the bar and bat mitzvah experience. What about the day after the students become b’nai mitzvah? Our movement is facing an 80% drop-off rate after [...]
On Monday, May 28th, we observe Memorial Day in the United States, a time to remember the sacrifice of our Armed Forces in defense of our country. The prayer below, written by Rabbi Matt Friedman and originally published on this blog last year, may be read during your Shabbat Services next week. Let us ask God to protect, heal and comfort those who serve. And let us, by praying, raise our own awareness, sense of responsibility, and appreciation for those who defend our country. “A Prayer for Memorial Day” by Rabbi Matt Friedman Eloheinu v’Elohei avoteinu v’imoteinu – Our God [...]
by Rabbi Jeff Goldwasser Not long after I arrived in Florida, a congregant told me about the Treatment Center where he works as an administrator, a place for people whom the criminal justice system has deemed to be mentally ill or mentally incompetent. He asked me if I would be willing to visit the Center to talk with its few Jewish residents. I told my new congregant that I would be honored to help his residents. There was a long process before I could be approved to volunteer at the Center. I made my first trip to visit its residents [...]
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