Congregation K.K. Beneh Abraham

Congregation K.K. Beneh Abraham Portsmouth, Ohio's Jewish Congregation. Like our page to be notified of upcoming services and event

07/21/2026

Tisha B'Av 2026 - July 22-23rd

Friends,

The annual commemoration of Tisha B'Av has not always been a prominent observance among Reform Jews. The day itself marks the anniversary of the destruction of both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem in 586 BCE and 70 CE. As Reform Judaism always set its sites on the present and future, we sidestepped a day which included hopes of restoring the ancient ways of worship, including the sacrificial cult.

I think we missed something.

We missed wrestling with the reason the Temples were destroyed. They were not destroyed, our rabbis teach us, because the Babylonians or the Romans were greater military powers than we. The Temples were destroyed because we were not united as a people. In fact, the phrase they use is sinat hinam, free-flowing hatred, The Temples were destroyed because Jew turned against Jew - because we refused to see our need for one another.

The rabbis do not teach that all Jews had to agree with one another, that all Jews had to act or think the same way. They teach that we have to love one another.

A message from Rabbi Susan Stone:

As Tisha B'Av approaches (July 22-23) this year, I have been thinking about this a lot.

Wat does it mean to love one another when some of us deny the centrality of Israel in our lives? What does it mean to love one another when others of us don't even recognize the identity we claim for ourselves? What does it mean to love one another when the hate of others can't even turn our hearts to our own people?

To me, it means that I have room to grow. I have work to do. I have to turn back to tradition and keep searching, keep looking and keep hoping.

No, I do not hope for the restoration of the sacrificial cult. But I do hope for the day when Jew will turn to Jew and offer a smile of recognition, a nod of acceptance and a heart of gratitude for the path on which we both find each ourselves.

May it be a meaningful day...

L'shalom,
Rabbi Susan

04/16/2025

From Rabbi Stone:

Friends,

I write this as I am still enjoying a beautiful Pesach that began with our wonderful Seder in Portsmouth. Again, I was inspired by the way our people understands itself. As we read through the Haggadah, we relive our history that always to be remembered and also dream a future that is ours to shape. We are meant to live rooted in the past and reaching for the hopeful of what is yet to come.

Part of our past is great sadness. We mark those times as well. With Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), we pause to raise up the horrors of attempted genocide and honor those who died. Observed on April 23 - 24th this year, the practice of burn a yellow yahrzeit (memorial) candle from sundown to sundown has taken root. In this way, we take what was supposed to be our badge of shame (the Yellow Star) and let it illuminate the world long after our tormentors are gone.

As this day arrives, I offer this prayer

Beloved Creator and Sustainer: On this solemn occasion, we light this candle to remember the six million, the eleven million, the indifference, and the evil. As we honor the heroes, the martyrs, the survivors, and the victims, we ask you to soothe our souls, amplify our memories, and strengthen our resolve to never forget, to always remember.

May all who mourn be comforted.

Amen

03/13/2025

Dear Friends,

As we approach the celebration of Purim this year (March 13-14), I find myself imagining what it was like being a run-of-the-mill Jew in Shushan during the reign of King Ahasuerus.

I wonder if I would have followed the drama of his deposing one queen and choosing another or had an opinion on the court intrigue instigated by his Prime Minister, Haman. (Boo!) Would I have kept up on the rounds of palace dinners and royal audiences, or of the machinations of the eunuchs or the royal favors extended and withdrawn?

I really don't know. Surely, the fact that Mordechai (and Esther!) were Jewish would have gotten me a little engaged. But I might have just passed it all by in the daily rush of life. I'm pretty sure that I would have told myself not to lose sleep over it all.

Actually, I've never thought about this angle of the story before. Funny how current events change one's perspectives...

And inspiring as to how our stories stay relevant generation after generation - and century after century - and after millennia as well.

So, this year, I am concentrating on Mordechai's clarity of priorities (the Jewish people, his family) and Esther's bravery. I am comforted by the truth that while external circumstances change constantly and are often difficult and unsettling, there are larger verities in our lives.

The continued existence of our people and the joy of celebration are going to be my touchstones this year.

I pray you find yours as well!

Happy Purim!
Rabbi Susan Stone

08/12/2024

From Rabbi Susan Stone:

This year, Tisha B’Av is an especially fraught day. Beginning at sundown on Monday, this solemn day memorializes many of the horrific catastrophes Jews have endured. From the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE and the Second (67 CE) to those tragedies that seemed never to end, this day contains well upon well of sadness.
We cannot help but add October 7th to the litany of dates and events that take center stage on this one day. Indeed, we have felt the Psalmist’s words, “Tears are my food day and night.” (Ps. 42:4)
But here is another side, the beauty of the day: it is one day. It is not day after day or season after season.
We must take time to mourn. As Jeremiah (9:16-17) exhorts us:
Thus says the God of heaven’s hosts: Pay heed, and call to the wailing women to come! Send for the skilled ones and have them come! Let them quickly raise a dirge for us. That our eyelids may run with tears, Our eyes flow with water!
In these verses, we are taught two of the elements of mourning: grieving needs both community (the wailing women) and ritual (singing dirges).
As we make space to mourn this year, may we sense the company of our community and make the words of generations our own. And may we know that it is only for now, not forever. The traditional reading for Tisha B’Av is the Book of Lamentations. The reading on this coming Shabbat is Nachamu: Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people. (Isaiah 40). “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)
We can mourn together and we can comfort together. Neither need be a solitary experience. As we mourn on Tisha B’Av and then rise to comfort and console one another, may we find renewed strength to move through this day to the many more, please God, to come. Amen.

From Rabbi Stone: May this Festival of Light brings light to your hearts, your homes, and our world.
12/07/2023

From Rabbi Stone: May this Festival of Light brings light to your hearts, your homes, and our world.

03/03/2023

A message from the rabbi:

Dear Friends,
As Purim begins on Monday night, I wanted to take this occasion to wish you a joyous holiday. Actually, it is my favorite holiday because it is so much more than a children's costume parade. Yes, I enjoy the frivolity. But it is so much more.

Rabbinic tradition holds that, at the time of the Messiah, the only holiday we will celebrate then as we do now is Purim.

Purim is about living in the real world as a minority people who feel both safe and unsure. It is about living with the sometime absurdities of a changeable government. It is about waring masks and taking them off. Purim is about improbable turns of events and hopes for an ideal future.

In other words, it is about our lives today and our people's wondrous past.

Wayne joins me in wishing you a Purim of absurdity, fun and deep meaning.

L'shalom,
Rabbi Susan Stone

Ready for our Seder!
04/15/2022

Ready for our Seder!

03/29/2022

This is "Founders' Day 3.24.2022 Dr. Mark Washofsky speech" by HUC-JIR on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

03/29/2022

We welcome your engagement in our strategic decision-making process. Please share your feedback or suggestions using the form below. The recommendations that are currently being considered by our Board of Governors can be found here.

Address

Second And Union Streets
Portsmouth, OH
45662

Telephone

+17403513443

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Congregation K.K. Beneh Abraham posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to Congregation K.K. Beneh Abraham:

Shortcuts

Share

Category