For the past fifteen years, Lauren Gluckman has been on our board as VP for Education and VP for Religious Affairs, and has been our liaison to the nursery school. We are pleased to present this year’s Helping Hands Award to Lauren during Shabbat services and an Oneg in her honor at 7:00 on Friday December 20.
Please join us for a Chanukah Tot Shabbat hosted by Rabbi Rob and Missy Gleisser at 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 21 at Congregation Brit Shalom. We will gather with friends to sing songs, read books and learn about Chanukah. Tot Shabbat is geared towards children ages 0-5 and their families. For more information or to RSVP please contact Marjorie Miller at Marjorie.Stromberg@gmail.com.
The donation of blood for the saving of lives is a mitzvah of Piku’ach Nefesh. To donate, just come to the synagogue’s social hall anytime between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm on Tuesday December 24. You can either drop in. Or to save wait time, schedule an appointment by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visiting RedCrossBlood.org.
Our Shabbat service at 7:00 on Friday December 27 will feature a celebration of Chanukah. Everyone is urged to bring along their favorite Chanukiah and matches for participating in a community candle lighting.
Come to a senior social on the last day of Chanukah, Thursday January 2nd at 2:00 PM. Join Esther Siegfried and lots of your seasoned friends to celebrate Chanukah and enjoy sofganiot and other treats. Kibbitzing is required.
Everyone is invited to a student-led service this Friday, December 13 at 7pm. A special Oneg in memory of our long-time member Susan Mann will follow. All students are encouraged to participate in the service. Those interested in a part may contact Rabbi Ostrich. For more information contact Marjorie Miller at Marjorie.Stromberg@gmail.com.
Join us on Wednesday December 11th at 12:00 for the second in our series of Torah Luncheons. Enjoy the original free lunch: a delicious salad bar with stimulating conversation and religious study. Our study text will be Martin Buber’s The Way of Man, a compendium of parables and proverbs curated from the Hassidic Tradition.
Please CLICK HERE to join us on Sunday December 8 at 2:00 for a zoom presentation by Flora Cassen, Senior Faculty at the Hartman Institute and Associate Professor of History at Washington University in Saint Louis (zoom link will follow later). This talk examines the disturbing legacy of antisemitism embedded in the very fabric of Brussels Cathedral. In 1370, a false accusation of host desecration led to the execution of several Jewish men and the expulsion of the entire Jewish community. Today, the cathedral stands as a monument to this tragic event.
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Our congregation has provided volunteers for the Interfaith Human Services' Wishing Well Fundraiser each December. This year our volunteers will be at Meyer Dairy on Sunday, December 8 from 10-6. If you would like to sign up for a 1-hour shift, go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0F4EADA928AAFC1-52940553-meyer/105056775#/ for the online signup sheet. Contact Karen Scherba at kdwensch@gmail.com if you have any questions. Thank you for your support!
Join our religious school students for a traditional Shabbat morning service on Saturday November 23 at 10:00 am. Followed by a Kiddush Luncheon.
Join us at this Shabbat Service and the Oneg that follows on Friday November 15 at 7:00 to meet and greet our new members. We welcome all families to bring their children to the event, and there will be a concurrent youth service to engage the younger kiddos. There will be a pizza and potluck dinner preceding the service at 6 PM . If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to spence3@gmail.com (not required, but helpful for planning dinner).
The first in our series of Torah Luncheons will occur on Wednesday November 13 at 12:00 Join us for a delicious salad bar lunch, some potentially enlightening kibbitzing, and a study session on some of Pirke Avot’s highlights. Everyone is invited!
The Brit Shalom CONGREGATIONAL MEETING will take place on Sunday November 3rd at 2:00 pm. In addition to a general update on "the State of Our Synagogue", a very important item on the agenda will be a presentation of the planned renovation of the lower level entrance to enhance security, and a discussion of how we plan to fund this project.
No experience necessary, just a desire to help with this annual mitzvah and share some doughnuts. Come at 10:00 on Sunday October 27 to be one of the helping hands. Contact Cliff Cohen (cliffcohen613@gmail.com) for further info.
Join us at 7:00 on October 25 for this Shabbat Service as we conclude Deuteronomy and begin Genesis again, keeping our study of the Torah a continual part of our lives. We’ll also be welcoming our newest Religious School students and blessing their study of Torah. Offered both In-Person and on Zoom.
Come to the social hall at 6:00 on Friday October 25 for a family dinner preceding Simchat Torah services which will include the consecration of our newest Religious School students.
Please join us for our next Senior Social on Tuesday Oct. 22 at 2:30 pm in the social hall. We will be gathering to schmooze and nosh. Come visit with old friends and maybe make a new friend. All are welcome, and we will have homemade snacks and beverages. If you need transportation or have any questions call Esther Siegfried at (814) 880-2724.
Hope to see you there!
Please join us for this presentation by Jim Ultman on Sunday October 20 at 2:00 in the social hall of the synagogue. Feeling a strong connection to Israel, Jim participated in a two-week Volun-Touring program this past June. This trip, offered by Volunteers for Israel, consisted of two weeks of volunteer work helping patients at the at Reuth Rehabilitation Hospital in Tel Aviv and three weekends of touring which included sites where the October 7 Hamas attack took place. In addition to describing his experiences, Jim hopes to engage with the audience on his observations of how the present situation affects life in Israel (Refreshments will be served courtesy of Hadassah of State College).
Join us at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13 for a dairy potluck dinner followed by Shabbat services at 7pm. All Religious School families (including current and rising students), as well as teachers and Madrichim, are invited. Additionally, there will be a special table and activities for the CBS teen group, so students in grades 8-12 are strongly encouraged! Please RSVP to the potluck dinner to Marjorie.Stromberg@gmail.com.
C’mon, you’ve wanted to do this for the past couple of years! Now’s the time!
Once again, the call is going out to all who want to learn how to blow the Shofar and surround the congregation with the blasts they must hear for the upcoming High Holy Days which begin on October 2. If you are interested, please email Bruce Gluckman at BruceGluckman@gmail.com.
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Our Social Action Committee participates with other Reform synagogues in the Reform Action Center of Pennsylvania RAC-PA, which is currently coordinating an “Every Voice, Every Vote” campaign. As part of that campaign, we will be holding an event to write personal notes encouraging prospective voters to show up at the polls. The event will be held on August 25 at 10 am in the Social Hall of the synagogue. Please save the date to help support the exercise of our fundamental rights!
Volunteer to prepare our Youth Library for the upcoming school year! Teachers, parents, students and members of the Congregation will be working on the library from noon to 4pm on Thursday, August 15. All are welcome to come for part of the time, or the whole time.
Join Rabbi Rob and Missy Gleisser for a special summer Tot Shabat at 10am on Saturday, July 20 at Spring Creek Park. We will sing our favorite Shabbat songs and read a story. Bagels and other light refreshments will be provided. Tot Shabbat is geared towards children ages 0-5 and their families. For more information or to RSVP, email Marjorie Miller at Marjorie.Stromberg@gmail.com.
Join us on Wednesday June 26 at 2:00 pm to get together and schmooze with friends and maybe make a new friend! We hope you can join us to share a cup of coffee, a snack and fellowship. If you need transportation, please contact Esther Siegfried (siegfriedesther44@gmail.com or 814.880.2724).
The last torah luncheon of the Spring will be held at noon on Wednesday June 12. In addition to our typical and scintillating kibbitzing, we shall have a special dairy luncheon (cheese cake?!). Our religious text will be the Biblical Book of Ruth, our traditional Shavuot Megillah.
On Tuesday June 11, we’ll begin at 6:00 in the Sanctuary where we shall give thanks for the Gift of Torah and hear the Ten Commandments. Then, we’ll move into the Social Hall for a delicious dairy meal cooked and arranged by Esther Siegfried. This event will end at 8:00. Please bring a salad or dessert to share. RSVP to Esther Siegfried (siegfriedesther44@gmail.com or 814.880.2724).
In conjunction with the synagogue's Shavuot service and dinner on Tuesday June 11, ALL STUDENTS are invited to a special Shavuot program. Students should arrive at 6 PM. Becca Thorsen will lead a 30 minute service downstairs. Following the service, everyone is invited upstairs for a dairy dinner. To RSVP or for more information, email beccapthorsen@gmail.com.
In commemoration of Pride Month we will host a community Pride Shabbat Service on Friday, June 7 at 7:00pm. Pride Month honors the LGBTQA+community and its achievements, activism and culture. For more information, please contact Michelle Katz (michelle_katz@mac.com)
Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Official Memorial Day for her fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, falls on May 12-13 this year. During our Shabbat service beginning at 7:00pm on May 10, we will participate in a special kaddish for those departed souls.
Join us at 11:00am on Sunday May 5 to observe Yom HaShoah, in commemoration of the Holocaust. We will begin with a service by Rabbi Ostrich and a poetry reading by our religious school students in the sanctuary. This will be followed by brunch in the social hall. If you have any questions about the event, please contact Zaryab Iqbal at zxi1@psu.edu.
Come to our Spring Congregational Meeting on Sunday April 28, 2024 at 2:00PM. Participate in the election of officers, hear reports andr updates on CBS activities, and nosh and talk with other members.
Go to Agenda and Officer Nominations —->
Join Rabbi Rob and Missy Gleisser for a special Passover Tot Shabbat at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 27 in the social hall at Congregation Brit Shalom. We will learn about Passover, sing Passover songs, and make friends!] Tot Shabbat is geared towards children ages 0-5 and their families. For more information or to RSVP please email Marjorie.Stromberg@gmail.com.
Join us on Tuesday April 23rd at 6:00pm in the Centre Hills Country Club for our seder on the second night of Passover. This event will include a Passover service led by Rabbi Ostrich followed by a catered dinner of traditional Passover foods including a vegetarian option. Reservations required by March 26.
Print out reservation form —>
Our Religious School students will lead the Saturday morning service beginning at 10 a.m. on April 20. If your child would like a part in the service, please email Rabbi Ostrich at rabbiostrich@britshalomstatecollege.org.