Welcome to Congregation Beth Israel

We are an inclusive Jewish community in the Merrimack Valley that offers an atmosphere of warmth and friendship to all. We cherish and uphold the traditions that give meaning and beauty to our present-day Jewish lives.

At Congregation Beth Israel, our members are engaged in all facets of synagogue life – ritual and prayer, social action (tikkun olam), education and learning, and social connection.

We embrace a membership that is varied and diverse. One of our most fervent commitments is to each other, both in times of joy and in times of grief. We believe that everyone in our synagogue community has something precious to offer and hope you will find your Jewish spiritual home with us.

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Welcome Fall! Lots of activities ahead:

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Our first Shabbat Chai will occur on Friday night October 30, 2026. A Dairy/Pareve potluck at 6:30 pm will be followed by our musical Kabbalat Shabbat service at 7:30 pm. Click here for more details

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There will be a celebration/lecture/reception at Temple Beth El in Springfield, MA on Sunday afternoon November 8 from 1 – 4 pm honoring the Torahs in New England that are part of the 1564 Czech Torahs that were saved after the Holocaust. The event is free and open to the public. Click here for more details

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Our first book discussion will occur in person and online on Thursday evening November 12, 2026 at 7:30pm. The book is “The Roots of the Guava Tree – Growing up Jewish and Arab in Colombia” by Sonia Daccarett.  Click here for more details

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We have chosen a movie as part of the Boston Jewish Film Festival to attend as a group. The movie is ‘The Wedding Entertainer”, directed by Gidi Dar, in Hebrew with English Subtitles.  It will be shown at the Newton JCC on Saturday evening, November 14, at 7:00 pm. Click here for more details

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The Social Action committee had a very successful Food Drive, and their next activity will be assembling bagged lunches for Lazarus House. Stay tuned for details.

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A Special Torah

CBI has the honor of owning a Torah scroll from the Czech Republic that was looted by the Nazis during 1939 – 1945. It and 1563 other Torahs were reclaimed by Holocaust survivors after the war and stored in a synagogue in Prague. Eventually, in 1964, these Torahs were moved to a synagogue in London. Our Torah (#464 of the group) was purchased by the Mizner family and generously donated to Temple Beth El in Lowell in memory of their parents.

In early 2024, the 60th anniversary of these Torahs’ journey to London was observed. Our Czech Torah has witnessed both the most ordinary and the most extraordinary events in history, both good and bad. This year, during our Yom Kippur Martyrology service, we took our special Torah out of it’s display case and gave the congregation an opportunity to view it up close. It was a poignant opportunity to reach into the past while praying for our future.

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On Sunday afternoon, April 19, 2026, we hosted Szifra Birke, a woman who grew up in Lowell, and whose parents ran a store there, ‘Birke’s’.  In 1995, a short film was made telling the story of her parents’ store, and of their traumatic experiences during the Holocaust in Eastern Europe.  The film is on YouTube and is called ‘Browsing Through  Birke’s“. Szifra watched the movie with us and shared insights into how it was growing up with her very unique parents, who were notable characters in their village.  Her presentation was engaging and her stories were poignant.  We feel lucky that she shared her experiences with us as we observed Yom Hashoah in 2026.

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In 2024, we had a wonderful presentation on Olive Oil by an olive oil farmer in Rish Lakish Israel, Ayala Noimeir. Her family’s oil-press is located in the village of Zippori in the Lower Galilee, 5km from Nazareth.  You can watch her presentation in a Dropbox video, the link to which can be found on the Social Events page, under the ‘Our Community’ Heading.

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Rabbi Mandell presented a 90-minute talk entitled “No ifs, ands, or buts, Antisemitism always has been and remains indefensible” on Sunday morning March 2, 2025. You can watch that Dropbox video by clicking the link in the Adult Education page which can be found under the ‘Our Community’ Heading.

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Updated CBI Health and Safety Protocols

• No person should attend an in-person event if feeling ill.  Remember this can mean a sore throat or stuffed nose.
• All in-person attendees must be vaccinated , and boosters are highly recommended.
• Masking is recommended and may sometimes be mandated if a large group is present.
• Food will be served in a common room and each participant can decide if they care to partake.
• Ventilation will be maintained with open windows.
• Individuals should maintain a distance between each other during most of the participation.
• A roster of attendees will be maintained in the Sanctuary in case contact tracing is indicated.
• All events, when possible, should be offered in a hybrid model; exceptions may be a hike or other outdoor events. Some events may be better presented as only virtual.