BJ Members Find Connection and Spirituality
They say it takes a village, and the BJ community is one of our most important villages. Our beautiful community is lifted by our members, who give us strength, support, and connection. We hope that by getting to know some of our members better, our dynamic community will continue to be warm and welcoming to all.
Carlos Love
What’s your favorite thing about being a member of BJ?
The rabbis’ teachings. They combine theology with real-life situations and don’t focus on topics in the abstract.
Was there a particular event or experience at BJ that played a significant role in your decision to become a member?
Yom Kippur. It is not only the prayer, it’s also the spirituality I felt. According to Jewish mysticism, Yom Kippur is when you can connect malkhut (kingdom) with bina (understanding) in the Jewish tree of life.
How has being a member of BJ played a role in your spiritual journey?
It’s been very important. I did my conversion at BJ, and Rabbi Felicia, Ari, and [then Rabbinic Fellow] Aaron Leven were in my beit din.
Would you rather celebrate your favorite Jewish holiday every single day for a year or never be able to celebrate it again? Why?
My favorite Jewish holidays are Purim and Hanukkah. I would want to celebrate them every day because, in the celebration, I would be close to Hashem.
Which instrument played by BJ musicians do you wish you could play too?
Guitar
Allaya and Eric Fleischer
What’s your favorite thing about being a member of BJ?
We really appreciate and enjoy the diversity and inclusiveness of the congregation. Because of this general acceptance, we have been introduced to a variety of different opinions and ideas from other congregants we may otherwise not have been exposed to. People feel free to be themselves, and we think that’s wonderful.
Was there a particular event or experience at BJ that played a significant role in your decision to become a member?
There wasn’t a particular event at BJ, but there were certainly circumstances that led us to BJ’s doorstep. We wanted to find a community that could accommodate our very diverse and multicultural family but that could also help us face B-Mitzvah preparation head on. We decided to take a chance with BJ, and we are so happy we did.
How has being a member of BJ played a role in your spiritual journey?
Allaya: I appreciate the way in which halakhah and the Torah are analyzed and interpreted at BJ; it makes it very easy to apply to current issues and take action. Kids more than anyone need this skill, and I’m hopeful that we can help them learn that here.
Would you rather celebrate your favorite Jewish holiday every single day for a year or never be able to celebrate it again? Why?
Allaya: I think there’s something special and kind of sacred in scarcity; it causes us to truly analyze something for what it is, and it also helps us appreciate the other things that are plentiful. That said, I evolve as a person every day, so each time I celebrate a holiday, I know that I’m seeing it again for the first time, and its meaning to me is slightly different. So, this is a tough decision. Given how exhausted I am, I’d probably celebrate it once and talk about it a lot!
Which instrument played by BJ musicians do you wish you could play too?
Eric: Saxophone
Allaya: I’m more of a vocalist?
Max: Guitar
Front of the Sanctuary, back of the Sanctuary, or balcony?
We’re usually in the balcony. We don’t want to bother anyone!
Jessica Rechtschaffer
How did you first find out about BJ?
I had learned about BJ in passing over the years but never went. Then I learned that BJ had daily minyan via Zoom and I started attending those to say Kaddish for my mother, who passed away in 2021. I found a community there. When one is grieving, it’s good to feel that one isn’t alone.
What’s your favorite thing about being a member of BJ?
There is a good spiritual vibe to the shul. I like the various programs that it offers and the all-is-welcome approach. People work hard to make it a nice space.
Was there a particular event or experience at BJ that played a significant role in your decision to become a member?
It was a number of months of attending via Zoom before I started going in person. My first in-person service was Kabbalat Shabbat and I found it to be very moving. It provided consolation and solace for me at a time of profound grief, having lost three people very close to me in one year. I was taken in by the beauty of the space and architecture [of the Sanctuary] and the choice of musical instruments and melodies. I appreciated the sincerity of congregation and the rabbis. I liked how the services were run. I was also glad to finally see a space that had no national flags on the bimah. So I realized I had found the right place for me.
How has being a member of BJ played a role in your spiritual journey?
I went from doing occasional services for the occasional holiday to being a regular, particularly for the morning Shaharit minyan in person. I found that it’s a nice way to start the work week and the various psalms we recite carry me through the day. Kabbalat Shabbat caps the end of the work week and it’s a good way to unwind, reflect, and do some deep thinking. It provides a centering in a world that is coming apart.
Which instrument played by BJ musicians do you wish you could play too?
The squeezebox, aka the accordion. Alas, right now I just play the radio.
Adam and Ciera Mandelsberg
How did you first find out about BJ?
Adam grew up on the Upper East Side and attended several Bar Mitzvahs at BJ. But we became enamored with BJ’s social justice mission and musical prowess during pandemic-era Zoom services together with Adam’s family. It soon became abundantly clear that BJ was our home.
What’s your favorite thing about being a member of BJ?
We particularly value BJ’s openness and its many resources to learn and grow in non-prescriptive or judgmental framework. We also greatly appreciate the clergy’s direct involvement in all of BJ’s many offerings, and in setting the tone for the BJ community.
Was there a particular event or experience at BJ that played a significant role in your decision to become a member?
Ciera’s conversion class with Rabbi Grace Gleason was a highlight for us both. Ciera also enjoyed getting to know Rabbi Becca Weintraub as a member of her beit din. We will never forget our aufruf Shabbat services, which coincided with Teen Shabbat—and highlighted BJ at its absolute best.
Would you rather celebrate your favorite Jewish holiday every single day for a year or never be able to celebrate it again? Why?
The thought of hosting a Seder every day for a year does sound exhausting (and no pasta!), but we would gladly welcome Passover everyday. We love spending time with family, while learning and connecting over time-honored traditions.
Which instrument played by BJ musicians do you wish you could play too?
The oud!
Front of the Sanctuary, back of the Sanctuary, or balcony?
Middle of Sanctuary!
Linda Donald and Nathan Levin
How did you first find out about BJ?
A colleague described the warmth and unique aspects of the services to us and mentioned the extensive educational and spiritual opportunities.
What’s your favorite thing about being a member of BJ?
A feeling of being uplifted during and following any service.
Was there a particular event or experience at BJ that played a significant role in your decision to become a member?
Almost everything the rabbis say in their remarks and sermons are so relevant to our problems and needs. It is amazing to hear every week how their messages fit with exactly the challenges at that time. It is so uplifting.
Would you rather celebrate your favorite Jewish holiday every single day for a year or never be able to celebrate it again? Why?
We would celebrate it every single day for a year, which has the obvious drawback of it losing its meaning; however, never being able to celebrate again is unbearable to consider. In this context, “unbearable” brings to mind time periods in which the Jewish population was absolutely unable to outwardly celebrate any holidays or traditions.
Front of the Sanctuary, back of the Sanctuary, or balcony?
We sit in the front for the best hearing possible.