We prioritize… Community

 We strive to be a community that you can count on in

times of joy and at times of loss. Comment [BCS1]: What might we do for new
parents? Or people recently moved to town?

 We want to be in relationship with other Jewish Comment [BCS2]: Are there things we can do
to better care for mourners and for the deceased?
communities around the country and around the world.

 We want to deepen the interpersonal ties among Comment [BCS3]: Should we have a retreat?
members of the Jewish community in the area. Comment [BCS4]: How can we foster a culture
of Shabbat meals?

 We value the physical building of the synagogue and

recognize that our community is much larger than the
building.
We prioritize… Family
 We are families of all different types and configurations.

 Some of us have children at home and are trying to raise

them with pride in their identity and knowledge of their
heritage.

 Some of us are taking care of elderly parents who

sometimes live far away.

 We value activities that a family with children can take Comment [BCS5]: Like making challah?
part in; we also value activities that are appropriate for
children alone and activities that are appropriate for Comment [BCS6]: Like children’s’ services?
adults alone. Comment [BCS7]: Like adult learning?

 Some of us are adjusting to new patterns of living as

children move off to college or to live on their own.

 Some of us have family members, such as retired

parents or college students, who are part of the
community even if they aren’t physically here. Comment [BCS8]: Can we use technology to
maintain closer connections with them?

 Many of us feel frazzled and harried by our patterns of

daily living. Comment [BCS9]: Are there times during the
week when we could offer a moment of spiritual
respite? Very early morning meditation? Midday
prayer and silence?
We prioritize… Social Justice
 Just as we as individuals value being part of this
community, so too, we hope for our community to be an
active part of the larger Beacon community.

 We want to engage in larger issues of poverty and

injustice in this area.

 As Jews, we are concerned with the civil and human

rights of all people.

 We are interested in working both at a “hands-on” level
and on a local governance level as well.
 As we are increasingly aware of how our food is made
and where it comes from, we are particularly interested
Comment [BCS10]: Such as volunteering in
local food kitchens?
Comment [BCS11]: Are there ways we can
work with other local community and/or faith
organizations communities to advocate for the
needy in this area?

in issues of food justice. Comment [BCS12]: Can we be involved with

making sure that everyone in Beacon, in the
Jewish community and outside of it, has access to
healthy food?
We prioritize… Learning
 We are all growing in our knowledge of Judaism.
 None of us feel that we know enough.
 We are interested in secular aspects of Jewish culture,
such as music, art and literature.
 We would particularly love to know more about Jewish
food traditions, including cuisines, Jewish agriculture,
kashrut and the practices of blessing before and after
meals.
 We want to grow in our knowledge of our own interior
lives.
 We want learning to be a joy and a delight for adults
and for children.
 We don’t want the bar mitzvah to be the focal point or
the end point of Jewish learning.
 We want learning to happen at shul, at home, in the
marketplace, on-line – everywhere that our lives take
place.
Comment [BCS13]: Perhaps we should have
an Intro to Judaism class for adults that meets at
the same time as Hebrew school?
Comment [BCS14]: What about a Jewish film
festival?
Comment [BCS15]: Could we have a Big Read,
perhaps even a mid-Hudson Jewish Big Read,
where we all read the same book every year and
have events to discuss?
Comment [BCS16]: What about a kosher
cooking class?
Comment [BCS17]: Could Common Ground be
a partner here? Eden Village?
Comment [BCS18]: Could we partner with the
Jewish Meditation Center to do a program on
Jewish eating meditations?
Comment [BCS19]: An introduction to prayer
group that would both learn and daven?
Comment [BCS20]: What about multiple bar
mitzvah options - a child could learn to read
Torah, pray with intention, teach a class? Perhaps
we can have some b'nai mitzvah in the synagogue
and others on Mt. Beacon?
Comment [BCS21]: What about an open house
with Ellen and Brent so people can learn more
about what the school is?
We prioritize… Spiritual Practice
 Sometimes, we find the traditions and cadences of the
Jewish spiritual tradition to be incredibly powerful and
moving. Comment [BCS22]: How can we emphasize
davvening as a practice as opposed to a
performance?
 Sometimes, we find the traditions and cadences of the
Jewish spiritual tradition to be deadening and difficult.

 We strive to take the practices and values we inherit

from the Jewish tradition seriously, both when they feel
familiar and when they feel alien.

 We strive to take seriously our spiritual needs, both Comment [BCS23]: Could we have a Jewish
meditation group? A Jewish Yoga group?
when they seem easily aligned with the Jewish tradition
and when they don’t.

 We’re interested in aspects of Shabbat beyond prayer Comment [BCS24]: How can we foster a
culture of small Shabbat meals in people’s homes?
services.

 We’re eager to try out different ways of deepening our Comment [BCS25]: Are there different ways
we can configure the synagogue’s space,
connection, and know that some efforts will be resonant particularly downstairs?
and some will not.

 We want to be producers of Jewish life, not just

consumers.
We prioritize… Welcoming
 We’re made up of the widest possible diversity of
people who seek connection to the Jewish tradition. We
are proud to be comprised of people who:

o are single.
o are partnered.
o have lived in this area their entire lives.
o have just moved here.
o are gay.
o are straight.
o are exploring the Jewish tradition.
o are Jewish.
o are married to Jews.
o don’t have children.
o have children at home.
o have children who have moved away.
o are just beginning to find their way in Judaism.
o are deeply rooted in the Jewish tradition.
o were born as Jews.
o have converted to Judaism.
o are comfortable financially.
o are struggling financially.
o have two Jewish parents.
o have one Jewish parent. Comment [BCS26]: Should we have a late fall
program for interfaith families to think about how
o have no Jewish parents. to approach the December holidays?

o are disabled.
o are able bodied. Comment [BCS27]: What sort of things do we
need to do to make our physical plant more
accessible?