Shabbat Service
with Rabbi Micah Becker-Klein

10 am - noon • Saturday June 4

First Shabbat Family Program
Saturday March 4, 10 am - noon

CBE Community Hall

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Coffee & Check-in • Zoom

With Rabbi Micah

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11:00 am • Wednesday • July 1

For the link and password, click:

Hanukkah Party!
Sunday Dec. 22, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

in the CBE Community Hall

Join us to light the Menorahs, enjoy treats and libations and to take part in our favorite tradition, the latke tasting contest. Bring your latkes and we'll see how they stack up!
Lag B'Omer
Community Picnic
Wednesday, May 25, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Howard and Gail Cohen's home

Noon - 2 pm

Sunday January 28

Enjoy a Tu B'shevat Seder with Rabbi Micah and Dina Bronson. 

RSVP requested -

please call or email the office.

 

It's Movie Night!

Join Rabbi Micha on Friday evening, January 10th

 at 6PM, for a delicious shabbat dinner followed by

the film, The Match Maker. Click here for the

synopsis and further details. 

  Save the Date, Friday, October 12th,

  Kabbalat Shabbat Dinner with Rabbi

           Micah, 6:00 to 8:00 PM. 

  Bring an instrument, bring your open  heart, and be prepared for a spiritually           uplifting and fun evening. 

Shabbat
with Rabbi Micah Becker-Klein

Fri. Mar. 8: Kabbalat Shabbat 6-8 pm

Sat. Mar. 9: Morning Service 10 am-noon

​Sat. Feb. 9: Ski & Snowshoe Havdalah 3 pm

Havdalah Dinner 6 pm

Shabbat Service
with Lance Wang and Andrea Kolbe

10 am - noon • Saturday June 4

Torah Discussion
with Paul Stitelman

10 am - noon • Saturday June 4

Coffee & Check-in

with Rabbi Micah • Zoom

11 am • Wed., Aug. 5

• social connecting •

Enjoy food, fun and song with Rabbi Micah
Friday March 2, 5:30 - 7:30 pm

in the CBE Community Hall

5:30 pm  mask making, hammentaschen baking, light dinner.  
6:30 pm   Interactive Megillah reading and songs for everyone! 
     Come in costume and bring a drum or noise maker! 

First Shabbat Family Program - Purim!
Saturday March 4, 10 am - noon

CBE Community Hall

Join us to create our own little Shushan and marvelous hamantashen, including the Unicorn Hamantashen of Your Dreams! We plan on a fun, creative and very messy experience. Wear your play clothes! 
Maimuna Celebration
with Rabbi Micah
Sunday, April 8th
11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Click here for details

Shavuot:

Celebrating Our First Fruits
Tuesday, May 30 in the CBE Social Hall 
Family event at 5:30 pm

Adult learning at 6:30 - 8pm

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Annual Membership Pledge Time!
For more information about our member dues assessment, click here:
To renew your membership, or to become a new member, fill in our simple online form here:

Annual Community Meeting

10:30 AM  -  Sunday, November 19th

in the CBE Community Building

Join us for bagel and coffee, share ideas, ask questions,

elect our board of trustees, approve our 2018 budget

2018/5778 Annual Membership Pledge Time!
For more information about our membership options and  dues assessment, click here:
To renew your membership, or to become a new member, fill in our simple online form here:
Dedication
of our beautiful new stained-glass front doors

generously donated by Shira & Tava in memory of their parents, Pat Barr & Rolf Sternberg. Enjoy blessings, stories, wine,

and dessert with our community.

7:00 pm • Monday July 24

Walk with Dogs!
2 pm Sunday Oct. 16

Mile Around Woods, North Bennington

Jewish Cultural Imagery:
An  Archaeological Adventure
for adults and children over 10
*Saturday, March 11,  11:00am-1:00pm
Plumbing Emergency

Oy! Due to a boiler malfunction, frozen pipes caused a flood in the sanctuary basement. Most repairs will be covered by insurance, and we will need additional funds for the deductible and other expenses, such as a low-temp sensor to send automatic alerts. Please chip in if you can, and bear with us during this temporary inconvenience. Thank you!

Plumbing Emergency!

Oy! Due to a boiler malfunction, frozen pipes caused a flood in the sanctuary basement. Most repairs will be covered by insurance, and we will need additional funds for the deductible and other expenses, such as a low-temp sensor to send automatic alerts. Please chip in if you can. Thank you!

The Gift of a Name
Family Education Program
Saturday, Jan. 7th,  10:00am-12:00pm

CBE Community Room

Jewish Film Series:
David - The Movie
5:00 pm, Sunday March 26
Oldcastle Theatre in Bennington
Tikkun Olam:
Community
Dinner
5:00 pm
Monday Feb. 27
Unfortunately, in-person services are suspended until further notice.
Please click for an important message from Rabbi Micah and the Board:

Bread & Torah ​Shabbat

with Rabbis Linda Motzkin & Jonathan Rubenstein

Sat. Nov 12:    10:00 am - noon • Shabbat Service

​                        5:30 - 8:00 pm • Havdalah, Babka, & Parchment

Sun. Nov. 13:  10:00 - 11:30 am • Torah Proofreading

Goal: 65

LED bullbs

CBE "Hear O Israel" Campaign

Assisted-Hearing Technology for the Sanctuary

Through the month of November we have a $500 matching gift opportunity to allow us to install an amplified hearing loop system.

                                               

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                                                                            Beth El Community Profile

                                                                             Alice and Alan Greenspan

                                                                      (aka Al and Al by family members)

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                                                                                                                                               As told to Susan Armstrong

 

Alice and Alan both grew up in Perth Amboy, NJ, around the corner from one another. Al is four years her senior. When they were young, the Depression was in full force, but both considered themselves privileged because they had comfortable lifestyles, despite all the want and need throughout the country. Their families belonged to the same Conservative temple – Beth Mordechai. Alice’s father was Treasurer of the board, “forever.” Al was bar mitzvahed and tutored in Hebrew by Cantor Efron, a well known composer of liturgical music. Because bat mitzvahs were rare at that time, Alice was confirmed.

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Alice had a beautiful sister, seven years her senior, named Jacquie. Alan was quick to comment that she looked like Ava Gardner. On Friday nights she would sit on the front porch and the boys would line up to talk to her. Mischievous Alice sat up in a second floor window throwing notes out to the boys. Alice said, “I grew up in the shadow of my beautiful sister.” 

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When asked if anything had ever happened in their lives that changed everything, Alice immediately described a giant explosion that occurred on two barges in the Raritan River, just two blocks from her family’s home. She was talking on the phone on the second floor, wearing only a slip, when suddenly the force of the explosion blew out all the windows in the entire house, including the room where she was standing. She was covered in blood from the shattered glass and ran downstairs to see if everyone was okay. Her mother and father had both escaped injury. She threw on her new spring coat and they all ran outside. Being without shoes, she ended up with bleeding feet as well. The city was put under martial law when it was discovered that the barges that had collided were smuggling arms to Pakistan. First aid stations were set up and Alice was able to receive the necessary care. Her brand new spring coat was ruined by the blood, but her mother dyed it blue and solved the problem.

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Congregation Beth El  107 Adams Street  Bennington  VT  05201

 

Tel: 802-442-9645     Email: cbevtoffice@gmail.com

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Both Alan and Alice attended Jewish summer camps, Alice in Monterey, MA and Al at Camp Kiowa in Honesdale, PA. They each had dogs in their families and remain dog lovers to this day. They attended local Perth Amboy schools until Al was sent away to a private school, as his mother wanted to shield him from his father’s illness. He attended the George School in Newtown, PA, founded by Quakers. Two of his classmates were Stephen Sondheim and Blythe Danner. Al tells the story that Oscar Hammerstein’s son, Jimmy, was also a student there. Stephen had written some music for a class play, and Oscar Hammerstein himself just happened to be in the audience. And so began Sondheim’s brilliant musical career. The Greenspans attended Sondheim’s play, "Applause," on Broadway years later, and Stephen was in the audience. Al went over to say hello and was greeted by name immediately. It was impressive to be remembered after all those years.

 

In his teen years, Alan sported a pompadour hair style a la Elvis. Walking by Alice’s house one day, he saw her outside. Al flipped her a nickel and said, “Call me when you’re 16.” What a move! He went off to Washington University, then on to graduate school at Northwestern, where he earned a degree in Macroeconomics. Next Al served in the 101st Airborne Division and fought in North Korea. After putting up with freezing conditions in that country, he was sent to Oklahoma City, where he roasted. There Al taught combat intelligence – how to interrogate prisoners. By this time, both he and Alice had married other people and each had three girls of their own.

 

Al had a sterling career on Wall Street with Rothchild & Co., Oppenheimer & Co. and was a Senior Vice President at Morgan Stanley. For years he oversaw the NYC Pension Fund, where he was tasked with foreseeing the economic future. Alice owned a successful interior design company, all the while raising her girls. In fact, she has an assignment right now to design the interior of a home in Burlington. Her creativity never stops.

 

They had not seen each other for twenty one years, but their parents had their fingers crossed that the two would re-connect, because each was getting a divorce. As soon as they saw each another, Al said, “We know each other well. Let’s get married.” But Alice gave him a hard time. She resisted until they finally wed eleven months later. Together they raised their daughters and shared their common interest in mountain climbing. They even traveled to New Zealand, where they scaled some of mountains in the Southern Alps and hiked the Greenstone Track out of Queensland.

 

It has now been forty seven years that Alice and Alan have been married. Their families have melded together – all six girls. They have thirteen grandchildren and three great grandchildren. They have remained happily together for over half of their lives.

 

They moved permanently to Wilmington, VT in 2003, after having spent years coming up to to Mt. Snow from New Jersey with their family to ski. In 1999 they began their association with Congregation Beth El. Al volunteered to manage the CBE investment funds over ten years ago and has done a stellar job. Alice is a trustee on the Board of Directors. We are indeed fortunate that the Greenspans continue to enrich our congregation.

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