Welcome to Congregation B'nai Israel!
đź”® Purim 5785 đź”®
Looking for a place to celebrate Purim? Curious about Jewish traditions? Just looking for an excuse to dress up in costumes, eat sweets, and yell at the top of your lungs!? Join us for Purim 5785!
Purim is a joyous Jewish holiday that commemorates the biblical story of Queen Esther, who helped save the Jewish people from persecution in ancient Persia. It’s a time for celebration, community, and giving back—all with a fun and festive spirit!
Get ready for Purim-spiel based on everybody’s favorite anti-fascist musical- Wicked. Expect some high-flying choreography, shmaltzy musical numbers filled with unforgettable puns, and a story that ties together the struggles of the ancient Babylonian Jews to the Happy Valley Bubble-onian Jews of our very own shul. If you're looking for a joyful way to fight back against the Hamans of the world- come be part of the fun!
Our celebrations and programs will focus on this holiday's four mitzvot: the Megillah reading, Mishloach Manot (giving gifts of food to friends and neighbors), a festive Seudah (feast), and opportunities for Matanot Le’evyonim (donations to those in need).
Click here to visit our page, view the full schedule, register, and more...
Congregation B’nai Israel (CBI) is a vibrant Jewish community that includes a conservative synagogue, a restorative communal farm and garden, Gan Keshet preschool, Alma religious school, and havurah (social micro-communities). Our innovative programming and opportunities for social justice have drawn a widely diverse community. We are proud of our long-standing, dedicated, and intergenerational members who are committed to ever evolving and being among some of the most forefront voices of modern American Jewry through an embrace of culture, art, engagement, compassion, and education.
Our visionary rabbinic, professional, and lay leaders are committed to exploration, moral integrity, and spiritual vibrancy with a special awareness for natural cycles, nuanced and compassionate thinking, and our relationship with planet and community.
Please use the calendar below to explore some of our upcoming events and offerings. First time visiting? Learn more about our religious services here.
This Month At CBI
Regarding Our Stance On Israel and Palestine
These statements, like all sound bites, can be misunderstood without context. We encourage you to read the complete letter linked at the bottom.
Release the hostages
While debating the specifics, Jewish law is clear that when fellow Jews are in captivity, it is our absolute priority to free them. We have a clear responsibility to work toward the safety of members of our own community. In this moment where all words can be understood in different ways, we need to be clear about what we mean when we use these words.
In North America, the phrase “Bring Them Home” has often been used in contexts that do not differentiate between support for the hostages and support for the actions of the Israeli government. As such, the phrase has sometimes been rejected as not leaving room for acknowledging the tremendous loss of innocent life in Gaza that has been a consequence of this war. This humane and moral issue then becomes political, regardless of intent.
Instead, when we call for the release of hostages, we use these words in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who take to the streets regularly, feel that the government has abandoned the hostages, and are demanding a deal that brings them home and ends the war. They saw the release of 80 of those hostages as a result of negotiation in November 2023, and believe strongly that the continued bombardment of Gaza is not the path toward their loved ones returning home.
End the war/ceasefire deal now
Rather than be distracted by arguments over cause and fault, our focus remains on the millions of people across the region who are deeply suffering right now, and have no power to change their circumstances.
For their sake, and with concern about the stability of the current ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, we call for a ceasefire agreement that ends the fighting in Gaza, releases the hostages, and enables all people in Israel and Gaza the opportunity to rebuild their lives, and for so many, their literal homes.
Jewish and Palestinian safety and sovereignty are intertwined
The trauma of this moment will be with both peoples for generations. And yet, we hold firm, with millions of others, to this truth: Israeli and Palestinian safety and sovereignty are mutually dependent and inextricably connected. All people deserve to live in safety and without fear. We yearn to see in my lifetime an independent Palestine alongside a secure State of Israel that does not feel forced to operate from fear of harm. Jewish and Palestinian safety and sovereignty are intertwined
We are grateful to our major funders, including:
Congregation B’nai Israel recognizes and honors the original inhabitants who first settled in the valley of the Kwinitekw River. CBI acknowledges that we are on Nonotuck land. We also acknowledge our neighboring Indigenous nations: the Nipmuc and the Wampanoag to the East, the Mohegan and Pequot to the South, the Mohican to the West, and the Sokoi Abenaki to the North.