Bath Jewish History

August/September/October 2026
Av/Elul/Tishri/Heshvan 5786/5787

Rabbi’s Message

Dear Beth Israel Members and Friends,

As your rabbi I am blessed to serve people in our congregational community in a range of ages and stages of life, from various backgrounds and expressions of their Jewish identity. Our community is truly diverse; geographically, economically, politically and more. Our diversity is certainly a strength; and while joining together a mix of people can be challenging, our assembly is what makes for a vibrant Jewish community. 
If you aren’t part of our Hebrew School you may not know that our congregation is perhaps liveliest on Thursday afternoons when twenty-five Hebrew school students, their parents and siblings, and a cadre of dedicated teachers enter their Jewish home away from home at the Minnie Brown Center for Hebrew School. This dedicated group brings energy, enthusiasm and love of being Jewish into our buildings week after week. 

This is just one example of the many facets of our congregational life. Over time I have noticed that this Thursday kehillah (sacred community) often has little interaction with members of our congregation who aren’t part of the Hebrew school cohort. This divide between families with kids and the rest of the congregation is not unique to Beth Israel. One reason for the lack of interaction is structural. Hebrew School is held on Thursdays when students and their families are the only people in the building! 

And so I wonder, how much more connected would each of us feel to Jewish life, how much less alone would we feel, and how much more united would we be as a congregation if we had intentional opportunities to connect with others face to face? 

This year I invite you to join me in bridging the divides within our diverse kehillah. Several important offerings are in the works and I’ll be sharing more details in the months to come. One critical area for this work will be with our youth and teens. I am so pleased to share that our congregation received a grant in the inaugural year from the Alfred and Dorothy Suzi Osher Charitable Fund, a part of the Jewish Community Fund of Maine, to engage our Hebrew school youth, their families and teens and strengthen their ties to our broader congregational community. This generous grant will enable us to host a series of intergenerational dinners on Thursdays after Hebrew School for students and their families to break bread together with congregants from across the age spectrum, share stories and celebrate Jewish life together. You are invited! Stay tuned for details about how to sign up. The grant also enables us to send Beth Israel teens to the L’Taken social justice seminar in Washington DC and to hire our first ever Youth Educator, Sarah Swanick. Sarah is talented, energetic and is already engaging our Beth Israel teens to build community and attend youth events across the state with a focus on the Jewish Youth Connection as well as organize our first ever B’nai Mitzvah retreat for 7-8th graders. 

We have a lot to look forward to and you ALL play an integral role in our work to strengthen Jewish life in Bath and beyond. 

I pray that you and your family have a meaningful High Holiday season. May 5787 bring the blessings of peace and safety so needed at this time. May it bring good health, strengthened connection and hope.

L’Shana Tova,
Rabbi Vinikoor

President’s Message

by Marilyn Weinberg

By the time you receive this newsletter, our summer, filled with visitors and travels will be ending soon and we will be back into a more regular routine. As the days get shorter and the nights cooler we are very aware of the changing seasons. What a perfect time for the High Holidays, with such an obvious awareness of change in the air.

At our annual meeting in June board members presented a plan for the renovation project at the synagogue to provide handicapped access to our building and a safe egress from the sanctuary. Members at the meeting voted unanimously to start the process this year. We have talked about the need for this and it’s time to begin. Over the year we will keep you updated on our progress. It’s a wonderful project to begin our new year of 5787.

As we come together to observe our High Holidays, we are reminded of the deep-rooted traditions that bind us as a community and as a people. These days serve as a bridge between our past and our future, a time to honor our heritage while embracing the potential for positive change.

As we dip apples in honey and hear the blast of the shofar, let us be reminded of the sweetness and richness that life offers. May these holidays inspire us to strengthen our bonds of family, friendship, and faith, and to strive for a year filled with love, understanding, and meaningful connections.

We welcome all of you who choose to be a part of the Beth Israel community in some way. You are all greatly appreciated. We wish you a most wonderful new year.

L'Shanah Tovah

Yahad

by Rachel Connelly

Programing for Preschoolers and Young School Aged Children for 2026-2027

Some of us are planners and others are seat-of-the-pantsers. I tend to be a seat-of-the-pantser but always appreciate a good plan. So, here’s the plan for programming aimed at preschoolers and their families for the coming year.

For dates, times and locations, as well as any other questions please email Rachel Connelly

• August

  • Welcome back picnic at Waterfront Park in Bath for families of religious schoolers and preschoolers. We will blow the shofar and then just eat, play, and visit.

  • Yahad program at Minnie Brown Center with special visitor Tehillah reading a Rosh Hashana story.

• September

  • Shabbat in the Sukkah. Children and their families asked to come early to help decorate the Sukkah. Stay for Lulav shaking and then dinner.

• October

  • Simchat Torah Celebration with music and dancing.

• November

  • Religious School Shabbat with Yahad programing. Hybrid program with attending services and then retreating to the Community Room for a snack and craft activity before joining back together for a Shabbat lunch.

• December

  • Hanukkah celebration with song session with Rabbinic Apprentice Alexina and then a story time for kids simultaneously to a cookbook demo, followed by a community candle lighting.

• January

  • Yahad and Hebrew School Havdalah and hot cocoa at the Minnie Brown Center. Let’s celebrate the darkness together.

  • Religious School Shabbat with Yahad programing. Hybrid program with attending services and then retreating to the Community Room for a snack and craft activity before joining back together for a Shabbat lunch.

• March

  • Pre Purim Yahad program at the Minnie Brown Center

• Purim

• April

  • Religious School Shabbat with Yahad programing. Hybrid program with attending services and then retreating to the Community Room for a snack and craft activity before joining back together for a Shabbat lunch.

• May

  • End of the year Shabbat picnic

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Hebrew School

by Marilyn Weinberg

In addition to our regularly scheduled Hebrew School, we have some special upcoming multigenerational programs that give us an opportunity to connect as a congregation.

• Holiday and Special Gatherings

  • Thursday, August 27, 5:30 pm Back to School Picnic at Waterfront Park in Bath

  • Sunday, September 13, 4:00 pm Rosh Hashanah Nature Walk at Thorne Head

• Community Dinners for Hebrew School students and family members and members of the larger Beth Israel Congregation

  • Thursday, November 5 at 5:30 pm

  • Thursday, December 17 at 5:30 pm

  • Thursday, February 25 at 5:30 pm

  • Thursday, May 6 at 5:30 pm

• Hebrew School Services led by Hebrew School students and Rabbi Vinikoor

  • Saturday, November 21, 10:00 am - Shabbat morning at the Synagogue

  • Saturday, January 30, 10:00 am - Shabbat morning at the Synagogue

  • Saturday, April 10, 10:00 am - Shabbat morning at the Synagogue

  • Thursday June 10, 5:00 pm - Shavuot and Hebrew School led services at Minnie Brown Center and Synagogue

• School and Yachad Families

  • Thursday, December 10, Hebrew School Hannukah Celebration

  • Thursday, April 15, Hebrew School Seder

  • Monday, March 22, Purim Celebration

• Parent Learning Opportunities: Being a Jewish Parent Now with Tehilah Eisenstadt

  • Sunday, November 22, 10:00 am at the Minnie Brown Center

  • Sunday, January 31, 10:00 am at the Minnie Brown Center

Hebrew School Registration

by Marilyn Weinberg

Beth Israel Hebrew School will resume classes on September 24, 2026. Whether you are a new or returning student, it’s time to fill out the Hebrew School registration form.

Go to our website to get more information and access the enrollment forms. We charge only a $50 activity fee per child for Beth Israel members.

For more information click HERE

Flowers and Music for the High Holidays

by Marilyn Weinberg

As in the past, we would like to beautify the synagogue with flowers for the holidays and add a musical component to our services. In order to make that happen we need your financial support. To help sponsor, contact Marilyn Weinberg at info@bethisraelbath.org. Please include the names of the people you would like to honor or remember.

To make your donation click HERE. Please indicate as you fill out the donation form that it is for flowers and music.

Or mail to:
Treasurer
Beth Israel Congregation
PO Box 244
Bath, ME 04530

Rosh Hashanah Community Luncheon and Dinner

by Marilyn Weinberg

Saturday, September 12
12:30 pm - Luncheon
Minnie Brown Center

Sunday, September 13
5:30 - Dinner
Minnie Brown Center

Rosh Hashanah is the time when we all come together as a community. This year we will have two chances to share a meal together. It will be a great opportunity to catch up with each other and share some delicious food.

We will begin our Rosh Hashanah luncheon immediately following morning services, at approximately 12:30 pm. We will supply some sandwich fixings, and you can bring some salads, breads or desserts.

For those who are unable to attend the traditional Rosh Hashanah morning service and luncheon, we have our afternoon Family Service on Sunday that will be followed by a dinner. We will coordinate meals and side dishes, salads, desserts, and drinks ahead of time. Please sign up HERE for the meals by September 8.

Meet Sarah Swanick – Teen Adivsor

by Marilyn Weinberg

We have such wonderful news. Through a grant from the Jewish Community Fund of Maine (JCFM), we were awarded the funds to develop a program for our teens. It is something that we have talked about for years but never had the capacity to begin.

We have hired Sarah Swanick who we hope you will meet over the next few months. She wrote a little bio about her background:

“Hi! My name is Sarah Swanick. I'm a student between my third and fourth years of medical school and living in Topsham while working as a teaching fellow at the medical school in Portland.

I moved to Maine from Grafton, Massachusetts, where I was a member of Congregation B'nai Shalom in Westborough. While I was there, I was a co-president of our youth group WAFTY and taught at the Hebrew School. I am so excited to start working with you all as a teen educator! My favorite years of Jewish learning started after my Bat Mitzvah, and I hope to help bring some of that joy to you.”

Tehilah Eisenstadt – New Rabbinic Apprentice

by Marilyn Weinberg

We are looking forward to meeting our newest Rabbinic Apprentice, Tehilah Eisenstadt. She is a fifth-year rabbinic student at the Academy for Jewish Religion, a rabbinical school based in Yonkers, New York, founded on a pluralistic approach to Judaism.

Tehillah is also a full-time associate director of Congregational Learning at East End Temple in NYC, A Clal writing fellow (The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership), and CEO of “Wonder and Repair," a small nonprofit she started in 2022.

For fifteen years Tehilah served as an education director in every Jewish denomination. Her previous and current work allows her to follow her passion for making Judaism meaningful and accessible to all ages. As a long-time pluralistic guide with ImmerseNYC, she hopes to be an adventure mikvah guide upon ordination. She also seeks to continue the interfaith work, which has been a core element to her Judaism in action (aka ritual and activism) and deepened her understanding of her own spirituality.

Tehilah is excited and honored to be the rabbinic apprentice at Beth Israel Congregation in Bath under Rabbi Lisa Vinikoor's wise guidance and to work with others in the wider Jewish Maine community.

Upcoming adult education led by rabbinic apprentice, Tehilah Eisenstadt:

Headlines and Torah Lines

Join our new rabbinic apprentice, Tehilah Eisenstadt, for a look at important headlines of today and how they intersect with Jewish teachings. All are welcome. Bagels and schmear will be provided!

Sunday, August 30, 11:30 am at the Minnie Brown Center. 

Alexina Haefner Returns

by Marilyn Weinberg

We are thrilled to have Rabbinic Apprentice Alexina Haefner returning to us for a second year. She is now a rising fourth-year rabbinic student at HUC-JIR in NYC.

You might remember that Alexina’s voice was inspirational and she will be with us six times this coming year to celebrate Shabbat and several holidays.

Prior to rabbinical school, Alexina worked with rabbis serving interfaith couples and families across North America as the Fellowship Alumni and Program Manager at 18Doors, and built a vibrant, lay-led 20s/30s community in Durham, NC. As a rock climber and former software developer, she loves solving a good problem. She is excited to work with Beth Israel Congregation this year and looks forward to meeting everyone!

Upcoming adult education led by rabbinic apprentice, Alexina Haefner:

 Wrestling with God

What do we mean when we talk about God? Wrestling with the idea of God has long been a central part of the Jewish conversation. Join rabbinic apprentice Alexina Haefner as we explore different ideas of God from Jewish thinkers past and present in this one-off class.

Sunday, October 25 at 10:00 am at Minnie Brown. Bagels and schmear will be served.

Shabbat Song Circle

Do you play an instrument? Love to sing? This cohort will meet with rabbinic apprentice Alexina Haefner on six Shabbat afternoons throughout the year to explore the Friday night prayers and learn melodies for upcoming musical Shabbat services. No experience necessary, just a willingness to immerse yourself in the spiritual practice of making music together.

 Saturdays, October 24, December 5, January 9, February 27, March 20, and April 10 at 3:00 pm. Our first session will meet in Rabbi Vinikoor’s home.Please RSVP HERE

Community Sukkot Celebration

by Marilyn Weinberg

Friday, September 25
5:30 pm - Dinner
6:30 pm - Shabbat Evening Service
Minnie Brown Center

Right after Yom Kippur it’s time to set up our sukkah at the Minnie Brown Center and decorate it for our community Sukkot celebration.

Sukkot is one of the most joyful festivals on the Jewish calendar. Sukkot, a Hebrew word meaning booths or huts, refers to the Jewish festival of giving thanks for the fall harvest. This year the first night falls on Shabbat.

It is a mitzvah to eat in the Sukkah so we will start our celebration in the Sukkah with both Shabbat and Sukkot blessings and share a meal together. And everyone will have a chance to hold the lulav and etrog.

This will all be followed by a Kabbalat Shabbat service inside our Minnie Brown Center.

Simchat Torah Celebration

by Marilyn Weinberg

At the end of the fall High Holiday cycle comes the joyous holiday of Simchat Torah where we take all of the Torah scrolls out of the ark, sing traditional songs and say the blessings as we dance with them, round and round!

Come for dinner and then join the festivities. This year we are thrilled to have Rabbi Sruli Dresdner and his wife Lisa Mayer, multi-instrumentalists and vocalists, lead us in our celebration.

Meet New Board Member – Bud Samiljan

Bud and his wife Mary joined Beth Israel Congregation about 10 years ago, just a couple of years after moving to Maine where they honeymooned 44 years ago. They raised their three fabulous children in Acton, MA, where they were part of a very active Jewish community, while spending as much time as possible in Maine at their camp in The Forks.

Bud served on his previous synagogue's board for many years and is looking forward to contributing his efforts to the continuing strength of the Beth Israel community.

He spent nearly 40 years in the publishing world, and in recent years has been providing guidance to Maine's Medicare beneficiaries. He has no plans to retire because he's having too much fun.

Security Update Fall 2026

by Peggy Brown

Dear Beth Israel Congregation:

As our community starts to prepare for the upcoming holidays, the Security Committee at Beth Israel is thinking about how to best ensure that everyone who joins us for services and events feels welcome and safe. Over the past several years we have developed policies which align with the best practices suggested by the Secure Community Network (SCN), Community Security Service (CSS), the security folks at Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), and our local Bath Police Department. Greeters at our holiday services are there to welcome us and to keep an eye out for our safety. We have hired City of Bath Police officers to provide security details while we gather for prayer, meditation and celebration.

We ask that you register in advance for the services you plan to attend. It’s okay if your plans change a bit, but filling out the registration form gives us an idea of who to expect. We lock the doors once services begin, so if you arrive late, you may find the door to the shul is locked with a note asking you to text the Greeter for admission. We hope you will understand the reason behind this slight inconvenience.

If you have questions about any of our safety and security practices or if you’re interested in learning more about serving as a Greeter, let us know. We’d love to hear from you!

Register for High Holiday services here

Peggy Brown
Security Committee Chair
security@bethisraelbath.org

Sloan Kanwit Bat Mitzvah

by Jennifer Kanwit

Saturday, October 24
10:00 am
Synagogue

Sloane Kanwit has been part of the Beth Israel community since she was a toddler, from her first Tot Shabbat services before she could even say the prayers herself. Those early Shabbat mornings blossomed into years of Hebrew School with Rabbi Vinikoor, where Sloane built the foundation of knowledge and faith that she now draws on as she prepares for her Bat Mitzvah—a milestone she has approached with real dedication and care.

Community is at the heart of who Sloane is. Whether she's harmonizing with the Brunswick Junior High choir, training with Dragons' teammates on the soccer field, or carving down the mountain with CVA and the Brunswick ski teams, Sloane comes alive when she's part of something bigger than herself. Those who know her describe a girl who is deeply caring and kind to everyone she meets—the kind of person who notices when someone needs a friend and shows up for them without being asked.

That same spirit of showing up for others led Sloane to choose her Bat Mitzvah project: volunteering weekly with the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program (MCHPP). Week after week, she has rolled up her sleeves to stock shelves, organize donations, and help neighbors in her community access the food they need. What began as a mitzvah project quickly became something Sloane genuinely loves—she's found real purpose in the work, and in the people she's met along the way. She's already committed to continuing her volunteer work with MCHPP next year, long after her Bat Mitzvah project is complete.

As Sloane steps into Jewish adulthood, she carries with her the values that have defined her all along: community, compassion, and a quiet dedication to making sure the people around her are taken care of. Mazel tov, Sloane—Beth Israel Congregation and all of us here are lucky to know you.

We invite the community to celebrate with us as Sloane is called to the Torah for her Bat Mitzvah.

Pride Is a Jewish Value

by Joanne Rosenthal

For the first time, the Social Action Committee had a table at the Brunswick Pride Festival on June 13. Many fair-goers stopped by to chat and take materials and fun stickers promoting Love, Equality and Jewish Solidarity. Kristin Propp and I felt proud to promote the ways that Beth Israel Congregation and the Reform Movement advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and take action. Rabbi Jonah Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center said in an interview, “As it says in Genesis, all humans were created in the image of God. And that means that every person, every soul, is a creature of God that looks like God, whether they are transgender or lesbian or gay, and so we welcome everyone.” To learn more, check out the Religious Action Center of the Reform Movement at www.rac.org.

DONATIONS

Memorial Gifts

• Phyllis and Joe Lisi in loving memory of her mother, Rose Millstein

• Marina and Stephen Singer in loving memory of her father, Victor Shapiro and her brother, Samuel Shapiro

• Lynn Frank in loving memory of her sister, Cheryl Wilkes Moore

• Jay and Lenore Friedland in loving memory of his father, Edward Friedland

• Debby and Richard Finn in loving memory of her father, Alvin Ludwig

• Norma Dreyfus in loving memory of her mother, Dr. Rose Goldberg and her father, Dr. Morris Goldberg

• Linda Siberstein and Larry Loeb in loving memory of her parents, Dr. Joseph and Thelma Silberstein

• The Samiljan Family in loving memory of Rita Ramsey and Joseph Samiljan

• Daniel Morgenstern and Moriah Moser in loving memory of Frederick Morgenstern

• Sheldon and Denise Tepler in loving memory of his mother, Feige Tepler

• Lon and Ilissa Povich in loving memory of his parents Donald and Janice Povich

• John and Marilyn Darack in loving memory of his parents, Melvin and Marion Darack

• Barrett and Barbara Silver in loving memory of his father, Milton Silver

• Stephen and Marina Singer in loving memory of his grandmother, Bessie Singer and her mother, Henrietta Shapiro

• Denise Linet and Gary Torow in loving memory of Abraham Linet

• Denise and Sheldon Tepler in loving memory of her mother, Priscilla Schwartz

• Gordon and Monica Blatt in loving memory of his father, Arthur Blatt

• Jon and Lorna Lichter in loving memory of his mother, Sheila Lichter

• Ben Crystal and Susan Kamin in loving memory of his parents, David and Harriet Crystal

• Erich and Pauline Haller in loving memory of his mother, Margareta Haller

• Marilyn and Fred Weinberg in loving memory of her father Max Isacoff

 In Loving Memory of Stan Lane

• Peggy Brown and John Martell

• Matt and Karen Filler

• Erich and Pauline Haller

• Joanna and Ralph Jacobs

• Chadd and Anna Cockrell

• Marilyn and Fred Weinberg

• Thyle Shartar and Marty Fox

• Jody Jones and Jack Witham

• George and Brenda Lane

• Stacey and Christina Giuliani

• Barbara Baseman

• Jay and Lenore Friedland

• Phyllis Wolfe

• Mark and Jessica Mahnke

• Barbara and Barrett Silver

• Richard and Caryl Strode

• DeeDee and Mark Jorgensen’

• The Polster Family

• Victoria and Nick Stoneman

• Marina and Stephen Singer

• Richard and Debby Finn

For the Benefit of the Synagogue

• Joe and Merna Guttentag

• Nathan Cogan Family Fund

• Fred and Marilyn Weinberg

• Ann Silver and Marty Katz in honor of Barrett Sliver’s 85th Birthday

• Marty Fox and Thyle Shartar

• Marilyn and John Darack

• Marge Curley

For the Benefit of the Hebrew School

• Marcia and Leonard Klompus in loving memory of their son, Jeffrey Robert Cherner

Building Fund

• Ellen Bard

• Rachel and Michael Connelly

Rabbi Discretionary Fund

• Robert Gersh and Susan Horowitz in honor of the marriage of their daughter, Shira Gersh to Emma DeMelim

REMEMBRANCES FOR MONTH–MONTH YEAR

May their memories be for a blessing.

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