As the summer winds down we look ahead to the High Holy Day season during the month of Elul as a time of preparation on every level - from the spiritual to the interpersonal to the political to the delectable. Below please check out our full menu of programs and offerings.
B'nai Havurah Elul Programs
We are grateful to the CBG Family Fund for making these Elul learning opportunities available.
Journal Writing Prompts from Rabbi Katie and Daily Shofar Blowing
Online, Daily throughout the Month of Elul: August 25 - September 22, 2025
Writing can be a profound spiritual practice. In the days of Elul, leading up to the High Holy Days,
use these questions each day as a way to practice the soul accounting essential to teshuvah.
Find your daily Elul writing and reflection prompts here,
on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BnaiHavurah/ or
on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bnai_havurah/.
Click here to view the entire list or Rabbi Katie's writing prompts.
Each daily journaling prompt will be accompanied by a video made for us by B'nai member Ted Levin, who will be blowing the shofar to remind us to pay attention each day. Ted's shofar video will set the mood for your daily reflection.
Elul Shabbat in the Hood
Friday, August 29, Starting at 6:30 pm 
Held at a member's home. When you register, you will receive an email with the location.
Our Elul Shabbat in the Hood hosts are pleased to share a little Elul Shabbat ruach (spirit) in their home and yards.
Shabbat in the Hood offers a perfect opportunity for members and others seeking community to gather outdoors in an informal and sociable outdoor setting.
We will gather at 6:30 pm with music, provided by Hal Aqua, to welcome Shabbat. After our meal, we will join in a lively outdoor Shabbat sing along and enjoy each other’s company. The evening will end at about 8:30 pm
Havdalah Babayit : Young Adult Edition
Saturday, August 30, 6:30 pm
A member's home
As a way to further build our young adult community here at B'nai Havurah, we wanted to modify our Shabbat/Havdalah Babayit model to make an approachable "come as you are" space for young people to experience Jewish community together- all while in the home of another Jewish young adult. We define young adults as anyone 45 and younger. Each gathering will include Shabbat blessings or havdalah, fabulous company, and a meal to share.
Postcard Writing to defend our Democracy 
Sunday, Augsut 31, 11:00 am
In person at B'nai East
Join us for a non-partisan, election-related project to defend our democracy together. We will spend our time together filling out postcards to key voters in swing states.
This current batch of postcards will -- with your help – be headed to voters in the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia.
Tot Shabbat and Shabbat Morning Services
Saturday, September 6 , Tot Shabbat Starting at 9:00, Followed by Shabbat Morning Service
In person and on Zoom at B'nai West
Join us for a joyful, musical all-ages Shabbat ! Shabbat services will follow Tot Shabbat as we enjoy Shabbat, Elul style. Bring a vegetarian potluck dish to share as well! The service will include prayers for healing and remembering our loved ones.
Shir Joy: Singing our Hearts Out Saturday, September 6, 1:00 pm In person at B'nai West (Second session will be Sunday, September 14, 3:00 at B'nai East)
There's nothing quite like group singing, whether it's in a formal choir, an impromptu campfire jam, or raising our voices together at a lively Shabbat service.
We're trying out a new group singing experience this year at B'nai Havurah called SHIR JOY. Information and Registration here
Online Elul Events from Reconstructing Judaism
Imaging God: A Creative Encounter with the High Holy Days' Liturgy 
Thursdays, September 4, 11, 18, 6:00-7:15 pm
Online only, cost $54.00 Facilitated by Rabbi Debra Rappaport Information & Registration Here
In this class, we will look at excerpts from the Machzor (HHD’s prayer book), and explore where our own psyches want to go with the images. How are the metaphors helpful? How do they get in our way? As poetry and food for our souls, how might the images and metaphors – like dreams – nourish and support our High Holy Days experience?
As a participant, you will have the tools to enter the prayers of the season more deeply through conscious attention to how the imagery interacts with your personal and our communal theologies. The Zoom class option is co-sponsored by Beth Jacob, Mayim Rabim, Mount Zion, Shir Tikvah, Adath Jeshurun, and Bet Shalom
Women of the Bible: A Retelling
Wednesday, September 10, 10:00 am (MT) 
Virtual Attendance via Zoom Cost $18.00 Facilitated by McKenzie (Ma’ayan Yehudit) Wren Information & Registration Here
Step into the stories of the women of the Bible — not as distant figures, but as bold, complex individuals whose voices still echo in our lives today. Together, we’ll engage Biblical text, midrash, poetry, and art through a feminist, justice-centered lens that reclaims and reimagines these women’s lives.
On Being Jewish Now: A Reading & Writing Experience 
Wednesday, September 17, 10:00 am (MT) Virtual Attendance via Zoom Cost $18.00 Facilitated by Zibby Owens Information & Registration Here
Join Zibby in conversation with Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer of Ritualwell as they explore what it means to be Jewish right now—how our questions, traditions, worries, and hopes shape our lives and connect us to one another. You’ll be invited into a guided generative writing session to reflect on your own relationship to Jewishness in this moment.
