B'nai Jehudah e-news will be back the 2nd week in January. We look forward to connecting with you again in 2021!!! |
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Message from Our President
B'nai Jehudah President Jocelyn Fry wouldn't mind swiping and deleting 2020 (if only it were that easy), and looks forward to moving into 2021. Connect with Jocelyn at jocelynfry@gmail.com.
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Important: New Contact Information
Rabbi Smiley and Rabbi Leighton can now be reached at their new email addresses!
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B'nai Jehudah Program Guide
Beginning this January, we are now offering a regular program guide, to make it easier for you to plan ahead and join our events. Wherever we are - virtual or in-person - we hope to see you!!!
This month's program guide is just for January, and we'll have a February - July guide coming out sometime in January.
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Rabbinic Search Update: Finalist Announced
The Rabbinic Search Task Force is very pleased to announce we have narrowed our search down to a single finalist. An incredible amount of due diligence was done by the task force to get us to this point. This candidate virtually met the task force, our past presidents, staff and Board of Directors. We are pleased to announce the candidate received an overwhelming approval.
Thanks to the critical work of the Vision and Transition Task Force, the Rabbinic Task Force members were able to utilize the wants and needs of our entire congregation and ensure our candidate aligns well with who we are today at B'nai Jehudah, including our core values and our mission statement.
Next Steps
We will hold an all-congregation meeting via Zoom in mid- to late-January. Stay tuned for a formal invitation, coming soon. The invitation will be sent to all member households.
Due to the sensitive nature of the rabbinic search and in accordance with the guidelines of the CCAR, the candidate will be introduced to the full congregation following our vote per our by-laws. The Rabbinic Search Task Force was charged with providing a final candidate to the congregation to vote on at the special meeting.
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Friday, January 1
6:00 pm: Erev Shabbat Service
Saturday, January 2
10:30 am: Shabbat Morning service, featuring Shabbat Star and child of B'nai Jehudah, Rabbi Jim Bennett
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The Chicken Parmesan Dilemma |
Tuesdays, January 5, 12, & 19 | 7:00 pm | Zoom
One of the foundational principles of kosher eating is to not mix milk and meat because the Torah teaches us to “not boil a kid in the milk of its mother.” And yet, thinking closely about this commandment we also know that “You Can’t Milk a Chicken!” Join us as we explore and understand what Jewish tradition has to say on this dilemma.
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Give the gift of community, with a donation to B'nai Jehudah. Your gift helps support congregational and community programs, special holiday events, Religious School, member and community outreach, and so many other things that bring our congregation together (whether virtual or in person!). Please consider a gift in 2020!
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More Reasons to Donate!
It is always a good time to make a donation to B’nai Jehudah; however, we want to be sure you’re aware of some special tax advantages for giving in 2020 through the CARES Act passed earlier this year:
- Taxpayers who don’t itemize are able to receive a special “above the line" tax deductions for charitable contributions up to $300.
- If you do itemize, you can deduct up to 100% of charitable contributions rather than 60%.
- If you’re over age 72 and subject to required minimum distributions from your retirement accounts, you’re probably aware that those were suspended in 2020, but you can still reduce your taxable IRA balance by making charitable contributions of up to $100,000 per individual.
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Year-End Giving Calendar
Please keep the following deadlines in mind when considering your 2020 year-end giving:
Gifts by check must be received in the B'nai Jehudah office by 4:30 pm on Tuesday, December 29, or if placed in the mail, postmarked December 31 to be eligible for a 2020 tax deduction.
Gifts by Credit Card will be accepted any time through ShulCloud, but keep in mind that to count as a 2020 donation, the transaction must be posted to your credit card account by December 31. Credit card company processing times vary, so make sure to initiate your credit card donation early.
Gifts of stock must be received in our account by December 29.
Stock transfer times vary, so if you are planning to make a stock gift this year, please contact your broker and Jennifer Green Baer (913-663-2641) to ensure timely handling of your donation.
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The pandemic has certainly been unprecedented. We are so glad we started our sisterhood Judaica shop website for our Sisterhood, our congregation and our community.
Thank you for supporting us, and we hope you will support us whether by curbside or your arranged private appointments. Also, check out our fundraiser masks! Our 15% discount is good until the end of December. Use Code GELT15 to receive 15% OFF your entire purchase at the Judaica Shop!
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Religious School:
2nd Semester Calendars
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It's been a fun and educational first semester, and our Religious School staff and faculty are ready to go for another great semester after winter break! Click on the links below for our 2nd semester Religious School calendars:
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Read along with us during our virtual services!
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When you make a purchase at Amazon Smile, a portion of your purchase will be donated directly back to B'nai Jehudah! Search for The Temple Congregation B'nai Jehudah to select us as your organization. |
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Stay up to date with The Temple, Congregation B'nai Jehudah on social media! |
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