• Tishe'Ah B'Av Services
• High Holiday Information
• Kiddush Sponsors Needed
• BI's Occasion Cards Now Available
• Listserv

Tishe'Ah B'Av Services

Tishe'Ah B'Av, the ninth day of the month of Av, is a fast day which commemorates the destruction of the two Temples; the first in 586 BCE by the Babylonians and the second in 70 CE by the Romans. Services will take place at B'nai Israel on Saturday evening, August 9, beginning at 9 p.m., with Maariv followed by the reading of the Book of Lamentations (Aicha). Tishe'ah B'av services on Sunday, August 10th, will begin at 8:30 a.m. with Shacharit and selected Kinnot, or dirges of the day.

High Holiday Information

With the upcoming High Holidays not that far off, we would like to inform you of our plans and also express the hope that you join us for what should be a truly memorable religious experience.

Rabbi Dr. Alan Yuter, our spiritual leader, will again preside over the services and deliver timely and insightful sermons especially appropriate for the High Holiday season.

Cantor Jacob Tessler, one of this country's premiere cantors and widely recognized for his artistry in Jewish music, will serve as Cantor for our High Holiday Day services this year, including Selichot.

Cantor Tessler studied at the famous BILU Cantorial School in Tel Aviv with the renowned Cantor Shlomo Ravitz; in addition, he attended Bar Ilan University's Music department. As a youngster, he toured the country singing and conducting services. His tenor voice, combined with his Eastern European Cantorial style, makes for a moving, meaningful service. In 1980, Cantor Tessler came to the United States where he held positions with several New York area synagogues. In 1985, he moved to Norfolk, VA where he served as cantor of Congregation Beth El, the largest Tidewater area synagogue, for 21 years until his retirement in 2006.

Cantor Tessler's son, Aaron, 16, will chant our Shacharit service as well as the Torah readings, something he has been doing since age 13. On occasion, he joins his father for duets during the service and we look forward to their vocal collaboration at B'nai Israel.

Happily, we will continue to offer you a memorable service at an affordable seat price. But please consider a self-assessed increase in dues to help us cover our escalating costs for security, energy, and building maintenance. We can assure you that, even with the suggested self-assessment rate, our dues are among the lowest when compared to other Baltimore synagogues.

We have some other important High Holiday news to share with you. If you are or if you know of or have grandchildren, relatives, or friends who are full-time students or are single or married and between the ages of 22–39 we are offering those individuals High Holiday seats at $75 a person. Young people between the ages of 13–21 can obtain seats for $36. Children under age 13 are free.

Seat prices for members are the same as last year with only a nominal $15 increase for nonmembers. If you wish to join B'nai Israel, we have a very attractive membership rate for the upcoming year – only $75 – and this entitles you to seats at the membership rate.

We look forward to our many long-time members and friends spending the upcoming High Holidays with us. Each year worshippers find B'nai Israel a comfortable, inspiring, eclectic, and inclusive place to worship. We know that there are lots of synagogues and temples in the Greater Baltimore area that offer membership and seats at this time of year. But nobody does it any better than B'nai Israel where modernity and tradition intersect. Individuals and families of all backgrounds and levels of observance are welcome in our synagogue.

Whether it's the rabbi's thought-provoking sermons, the magnificent liturgical pieces offered by our cantor, our creative Yizkor memorial service, or the nostalgia that permeates our 135-year-old grand sanctuary, B'nai Israel is the place to be for the High Holidays. We are an intimate congregation that sometimes feels as an extended family; our membership is truly diverse. Won't you join us?

If you attend services elsewhere, you may still prefer to become a friend or associate member of B'nai Israel and get the mitzvah of helping maintain our historic congregation and its many worthwhile functions. Associates receive all Bulletin mailings but are not entitled to the member rate for High Holiday seats. To become an Associate Member you need to pay $115 per year. Please call the office at 410-732-5454 for details and arrangements.

You will find below a special form for ordering High Holiday tickets and renewing or requesting B'nai Israel membership. A separate form is also below for listings in our Book of Remembrance which is used each time the Yizkor Prayer is recited. Please let us know your needs as early as possible.

More details will follow on our special Selichot services, Saturday evening, Sept. 20th.

We hope you continue to enjoy the summer and yet find the time to respond to our High Holiday offerings. For more information, please contact our office (410-732-5454) or e-mail (shul@jewishdowntown.org). A final note: our facilities are air-conditioned and expanded free parking is available for those in need. A limited number of women's seats is available on the main level of the synagogue.

• High Holiday seat application
• Book of Remembrance listing

Kiddush Sponsors Needed

Every Shabbat B'nai Israel is pleased and proud to offer its congregants a very lavish and filling Kiddush at the end of services. Unfortunately, this has become somewhat of a financial drain on the Congregation as we rely on generous sponsors to fund the Kiddush and in recent weeks sponsors have been lacking. As a result, the Congregation has wound up serving as the sponsor. Please help us continue the tradition of offering a nice Kiddush each Shabbat by becoming a Kiddush sponsor—perhaps for a Yahrzeit, anniversary, birthday, special occasion, etc. Call our office or email to become a sponsor.

BI's Occasion Cards Now Available

Check out our handsome new Occasion Cards featuring on the front a magnificent photo of the B'nai Israel sanctuary. What a great way to always have the perfect card ready for any special occasion--for Birthdays Thank Yous, Congratulations, Welcomes, Sympathies, Get Wells, Simchas, etc. We're charging $5 for one card or $25 for six, including the envelope. Call our office (410-732-5454) to order these cards.

Listserv

Please help us develop a listserv so that we can communicate with you faster and at the same time save on rising Postal costs. If you have a computer with email or access to email, please provide us with your email address at shul@jewishdowntown.org. Thanks.

B'nai Israel Congregation  • 27 Lloyd Street • Baltimore, MD 21202 • 410-732-5454 • Fax 410-732-4850