Green Mountain Shabbat

A centerpiece of the programming at Beth El during the school year are our monthly Green Mountain Shabbats . They offer a chance for the whole CBE community to connect to Shabbat in a variety of ways. We offer elective classes for all ages, such as Torah Yoga, The Oy of Knitting, workshops on keeping honeybees or raising free-range animals, Torah Study, Breakdancing, and more. Morning prayer services are held for adults and children, led by the rabbi and the rabbinic intern, as well as by members of the community and special guests. Other events include a community meal, films, and a variety of intergenerational programs, which in this past year have included a trip to a local farm for a seed planting workshop, Tai Ji and large-scale calligraphy, and Israeli dancing. In the winters, our Green Mountain Shabbat days are centered around havdalah and run in the afternoons into the evening.

 In addition to Green Mountain Shabbat, our community hosts monthly First Fridays, where local singer-songwriter Bernice Lewis leads musical family services with Rabbi Boettiger  (6:00-6:45pm), followed by a community wide potluck Shabbat dinner. We also hold occasional Friday night gatherings in members’ homes in Williamstown, Massachusetts; Cambridge, New York, and Wilmington and Bennington, Vermont (call the office for updated information).