Bath Jewish History

November/December 2025
Heshvan / Kislev / Tevet 5786r

Rabbi’s Message

Dear Beth Israel Community Members and Friends,

Here at Beth Israel our September and October were full of prayer and potlucks, contemplation and community. The powerful feeling of connectedness I felt from Rosh Hashanah through to Simchat Torah has reverberated for me even as the holidays have faded into the rearview mirror for now. I hope you are still feeling the high of the High Holidays.

This tremendous feeling of unity, of feeling part of something bigger than myself, reminds me of a teaching that I learned earlier this year at the CCAR Convention. There Rabbi Josh Feigelson shared a text from the 18th Chasidic Master Rabbi Menachem Nachum of Chernobyl also called the Meor Einayim.

In his teaching, the Meor Einayim expands on a midrash which teaches that there are 600,000 letters in the Torah and that each Jew is connected to one of those 600,000 letters in the Torah.

And like a Torah scroll, if one letter is missing, the Torah scroll is no longer kosher, it is not complete. So it is with each individual, if one of us is missing, the world is not complete.

I share this teaching to say, you make our community whole, you matter. Your presence matters to our community. Your contributions of time, energy and talents matter. When you show up, when you lend a hand to help, it matters.

Oftentimes members and friends participate only at the High Holidays. If that is you, I want to encourage you to join us for study sessions, Shabbatot, social gatherings, book groups or other ideas you have to engage with Jewish community.

Reach out to me with ideas or just to connect! You enliven our community and make it complete. I look forward to more opportunities to learn, teach, pray, celebrate and stand alongside you in this New Year.

 L’Shalom,
Rabbi Vinikoor

President’s Message

by Marilyn Weinberg

The fall holiday season is now over, and I am thankful for the lovely memories that all of these celebrations leave with us. I look back and I am amazed at all the absolutely wonderful and meaningful celebrations we enjoyed together. Yet, as the holiday-packed weeks recede, we welcome the holiday-starved month of Heshvan in its place. Heshvan is the only month of the Jewish year completely devoid of holidays or fast days. Some have called it “Sad Heshvan” from its dearth of celebrations, but I prefer to call it “take a deep breath month” to take time to reflect on our pathway ahead.

I want to share a note received from a visitor to our small community. Sometimes it helps to hear from others about something that we experience and take for granted. Here is a letter we received from an out-of-town visitor:

Dear Marilyn

I wanted to send you a note thanking you and the congregation at Beth Israel for making me feel so welcome at High Holiday services this year. I particularly enjoyed Rabbi Vinikoor’s sermon on humility and the warm glow that permeated each of the services.

Part of what we learn every year during the holiday season is how wonderful it is to be together. Our congregation is especially welcoming to all. Let’s hope for a year filled with joy and fulfillment as we celebrate and gather together during the year. We will continue to give thanks for our special Beth Israel Congregation, our Rabbi and our community. You are all so special.

New Torah Commentary Pilot

by Rabbi Vinikoor

Sunday, November 2
10:00 am
Minnie Brown Center

Join Rabbi Vinikoor and over 195 Congregations from across the country for a special Torah study session using a pilot version of the New Reform Torah Commentary. 

The Torah portion for that week will be Vayera (Genesis 18:1-22:24) and during our time together we will have the opportunity to study the parsha using the new commentary. We will engage with the text and then have the opportunity to offer direct feedback to help shape this historic project. 

RSVP to Rabbi Vinikoor at rabbivinikoor@gmail.com so she can get a sense of who is coming.

Center for Small Town Jewish Life's Fall Shabbaton

by Lucy Flores

November 7–8

You’re invited to join Beth Israel members at the Center for Small Town Jewish Life's Fall Shabbaton, featuring Yoni Battat!

Yoni Avi Battat’s Judaism is deeply rooted in both his Iraqi and Polish ancestry, and especially the rich musical traditions that come from these cultures. He delights in sharing traditional melodies alongside his own original music, inspired and informed by the Ashkenazi and Mizrahi music of generations past.

Click here to learn more and register.

If you are interested in joining but need financial support, please reach out to Rabbi Vinikoor at rabbivinikoor@gmail.com.

Diners’ Club Lunch

by Anne Rankin

Come join us for the inaugural gathering of our Diners’ Club on Wednesday, November 12, 11:30 a.m., at Little Saigon in Brunswick. We hope to make this a monthly get together as we sample different restaurants in the area.

And mark Wednesday, December 10, for our next gathering. And let us know if you'd prefer lunch or dinner on that day. 

Please RSVP to Anne Rankin by Monday, November 10, so tables can be reserved. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Creating Connection in Challenging Times - Israel/Palestine Conversations

by Rabbi Vinikoor

In today's fraught climate, it can be intimidating to navigate conversations with family, friends, and colleagues—especially when you don't see eye to eye—while maintaining respect and curiosity rather than defensiveness. But understanding someone doesn't require agreeing with them.

Creating Connection in Challenging Times is a four-part reading and discussion series designed to help Beth Israel members navigate hard conversations about Israel/Palestine with empathy and openness. Each session explores one of four themes—home, safety, people, and obligation—through a shared text or short film, followed by guided practice in active listening. By focusing on how we hear one another, even when we disagree, this program offers practical tools for building understanding and strengthening relationships.

Each upcoming session will be at the Minnie Brown Center on the following dates and times:

November 13, 7:00 pm
December 11, 7:00 pm
January 15, 7:00 pm

Please RSVP to Rabbi Vinikoor at rabbivinikoor@gmail.com

Community Hanukkah Celebration

by Marilyn Weinberg

Sunday, December 21
3:00 pm
Minnie Brown Center

Get your menorah and 9 candles ready and save the date as we gather together on the last night of Hanukkah.

We are still in the planning stages, but you can guess there will be crafts, games, singing, menorah lighting, dreidel spinning and some fried treats to share.

Stay tuned to your weekly emails as final details will be shared.

Family High Holiday Service

by Marilyn Weinberg

After leading a meaningful and lovely service to a very full house on Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Vinikoor welcomed our younger members and parents for a service with music, prayers and shofar blowing followed by fun crafts and a meal.

Tashlich

by Marilyn Weinberg

Our holidays evoke so many images that appeal to all of our senses. Candle lighting, shofar blowing, special holiday tunes, and delicious food. One of my favorites is Tashlich, where we symbolically cast off our sins into the nearby Kennebec river.

Thanks to all who came to participate and to Rabbi Vinikoor who made the holiday a special one. Shira Gersh gets an additional call out for definitely being “master of the blast.”

Sukkot

by Marilyn Weinberg

Having our own Sukkah in front of Minnie Brown again was perfect. Thanks to the Friedel family for coming out on a Sunday morning to erect it for the second year in a row. And thanks to all of you who made and hung decorations and brought delicious food to share. It is such a wonderful holiday for all ages.

Bath Area Food Bank

by Jill Standish and Kristin Propp

Thank you to the wonderful people of Beth Israel Congregation who made our food donation to the Bath Area Food Bank an incredible success: We were able to drop off just over fifty bags of needed groceries. The food bank staff was very grateful. What a Mitzvah! It is so uplifting to belong to a generous community.

Thank you so much
Social Action Committee

Do Justice, Love Mercy, March Proudly

by Joanne Rosenthal

At the October 18th “No Kings 2” march, the Social Justice Committee provided signs to members of the congregation. The signs were downloaded from the Religious Action Center, (RAC) of the Reform movement and designed to mobilize congregations and engage the Reform Jewish community nationwide in the pursuit of justice. Our hope is that at future actions, more congregants will gather as a group with signs and a banner to amplify our values and presence in the social action sphere.

Simchat Torah

by Laura McCandlish

After the blitz of the High Holidays, families, of all ages, from babies up through grandparents in tow, convened at the Minnie Brown Center to dance around our sacred scrolls for Simchat Torah.

The jubilant music came courtesy of Beth Israel's budding in-house Klezmer band, led by saxophonist Ben Crystal, with Freeport senior Sam Dunham (tuba), Brunswick freshman Theo Stone (trumpet) and supporting members from the JCA's monthly Monday Open Klezmer Jam in Portland. Congregants held up the entire unscrolled Torah, as children gathered inside the circle to see its full text during this celebratory Hakafot, led by rabbinical apprentice Alexina Haefner and Rabbi Vinikoor. Then everyone broke bread together!

Let this circle be unbroken as our cycle through the Torah begins anew.

REMEMBRANCES FOR november-december 2025

May their memories be for a blessing.

BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES

Listing the birthdays and anniversaries of those in our immediate family creates a wonderful opportunity for our community/shul family to have an excuse to celebrate with each other.