Beloved Brooklyn

10/07/2024

My grandchildren will ask me: what did you do as the dreams of your grandparents and many of their grandparents and some of their grandparents fell apart, blew up, in slow motion?

And I will tell them: I did the laundry, got the kids to school, sat at my desk and sent emails, read the newspaper. And there were always so many dishes.

But did you take sides? they will ask

There were no sides, I'll say quietly. It may seem like there were but there was mostly
fear
and
fear
and
fear
and a frantic longing for a sense of who my people are, who has my back and who doesn't and so much
suffering
and
suffering
and
suffering.

When I was preparing for labor, my midwife told me, there is a
different between pain and suffering. Pain is a sensation. Suffering is a choice.

Netanyahu, Hamas, Hizbollah, the Israeli War Cabinet, they choose suffering and revenge and more suffering - monsters, all of them, in an embrace that destroys worlds upon worlds.

So then, my grandchildren repeated incredulously, what did you DO?

Oh my dears, I sighed,
loved with all my heart
raised Jewish children
tried to feel the interconnectedness of all, every damn day, even when I was paralyzed with grief
cared for our broken Jewish people as best as I could
rested
dreamed

07/28/2020

Rabbi Sara on black lives matter, Tisha B'Av, and choosing life.

Rabbi Sara Luria of Beloved Brooklyn's reflections on adrienne maree brown, Ross Gay, Deuteronomy, Lamentations, and the Jewish commitment to choosing life.

07/10/2020

Come on down for virtual pandemic Shabbat prayer starting at 630pm with Rabbi Sara Luria and Elana A***n! Sign up below to get the link!

Join us for a brief kabbalat shabbat gathering as we welcome shabbat with our musical guest, Elana A***n. The link to the gathering will be emailed to you after you sign up.

03/19/2020

We're kicking off a new way to stay connected in the time of Corona --> Beloved Branches.

Just as branches are connected to the same nutrient-rich trunk and root system, yet grow their own buds, leaves, and flowers, we invite each of you to connect to a branch of our larger Beloved tree.

Each branch, consisting of 4-5 beloveds and a volunteer facilitator, will gather online once or twice a week to check in and offer each other support in this time of uncertainty and distancing.

Each facilitator, together with their beloveds, will decide their own schedule, rhythm, and style.

At Beloved, we already know the power of community can be a grounding force in a chaotic world, and wow, even more so right now. Click the link below to sign up.

Just add your name and email and your facilitator will reach out to you ASAP to schedule your first online gathering. If you'd like to become a facilitator, please email me at [email protected]

02/03/2020

The Beloved Network - a crew of 7 rabbis who founded and lead open-hearted Jewish gathering spaces - together for the first but definitely not the last time ❤️

10/16/2019

Deborah Sacks Mintz is coming back to Beloved for a concert under the stars this Saturday night -- click below for tickets!

Join us at Beloved with our very special guest Deborah Sacks Mintz for a celebration in song.

08/15/2019

Ok beloveds, who wants 6 of these chairs for free (in moderate condition)?? If you’ve been here, you know them well 😉

06/13/2019

Kabbalat Shabbat and dinner this Friday at Beloved at 6:30pm! Sign up at the link for address.

Join us for an evening of singing, delicious food, and good company at Beloved.

03/22/2019

We are ready for you! See you tomorrow night!

03/22/2019

I'm going to stand outside of the Makki Mosque (1089 Coney Island Ave) today during Friday prayers (1pm). It's an organized effort to demonstrate to our neighbors that their community has their back, that we are in this together. I know it's last minute but I wanted to put out the call if anyone wants to join me. And I'm driving if you'd like a ride...