Beth El in the News

Here are some news articles about Congregation Beth El. If you know of others, please let us know — email Alice Waugh.

Vayishlach: We Need Stories to Counter the Narrative of Endless War
T’ruah, November 2023
In a d’var Torah on Parshat Vayishlach, Rabbi Breindel notes that “in the aftermath of Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7, we must ensure that their single story of permanent war against Israel is not the only story told. We need a counter to the narrative that the cycle of violence between Jacob and Esau…can never be broken.”

Palestinian Flag’s Critics Overlook the People It Represents” (click here for PDF)
Boston Globe, Nov. 20, 2023
In this letter to the editor, Cantor Vera Broekhuysen corrects those who equate the Palestinian flag with Hamas. 

WCBV-TV aired a piece on Pop-Up Israel on October 14. Click the image above to watch it.

Sudbury, Mass., Supports Israeli Teenagers Amid War in Israel
WVCB-TV, October 13, 2023
At Beth El’s Pop-up Israel community event, Israeli students and teachers visiting as part of Project HiBuR share home-made Israeli food with Beth El — which turns out in force to show their support after the recent Hamas attacks.

Metrowest Jewish Rabbis Worried About Israel after Hamas Attacks: ‘It’s Attacking Us‘”
MetroWest Daily News, Oct. 10, 2023
Rabbi Josh Breindel says it’s a time to reflect on the Hebrew saying — “Kol yisrael arevim zeh bazeh,” which means “all of Israel are responsible for one another.”

Earth Etude for 28 Elul 5783
Jewcology, Sept. 13, 2023
“The month of Elul is a critical moment for us to consider how the call to teshuvah [returning or repentance] challenges us to engage meaningfully in the face of climate change,” Rabbi Joshua Breindel says. “The Rabbis tell us that we must not spoil the earth… We must recommit ourselves to being good stewards of the earth, lest there be none to repair our world after us.”

The Temple of Zoom
Tablet Magazine, Sept. 6, 2023
Organizations including synagogues have resumed most of their in-person activities. But Beth El Rabbi Joshua Breindel and others explain why Zoom and live-streaming services and other events will stay on as options — since it actually boosts overall participation and inclusivity.

Tenets of Judaism Combine with MLK’s Legacy in Bread Baking and Furniture Making
The service event in cooperation with Temple Beth Am gives Jewish youth a chance to see how their actions can help others.
Boston Globe, Jan. 15, 2023

‘You Will Always Have a Place in Our Hearts’: Beloved Cantor in Sudbury is Retiring
Metrowest Daily News, Sept. 16, 2021

Photos: Congregation Beth El Celebrates New Rabbi
Sudbury Town Crier, Dec. 17, 2018

Rabbi Thomas at Beth El Retires After 17 Years
Sudbury Town Crier, June 13, 2018

The Unusual Second Career of Rabbi Lawrence Kushner
Boston Globe, November 7, 2013

Haifa Students Visit Sudbury Synagogue
Metrowest Daily News, Oct. 21, 2011

Israeli Teens See How American Jews Live Their Faith
Evening Tribune, Oct. 15, 2009

Making Connections: Israeli Teens Learn About Judaism in America
Milford Daily News, Oct. 7, 2007

Congregation’s Pledge to Help Dying Man Presents Moral Test
Wall Street Journal, July 26, 2002

Mark died of Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy in 2006 at age 51, living many decades beyond his life expectancy. Beth El provided financial support to him until the end of his life.

A Conversation with Lawrence Kushner
Kerem.org, 1999

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