by Audrey Lichter As is our custom, wherever our family vacations, I always try and visit at least one synagogue or Jewish organization and let them know about Chai Mitzvah, Yesterday, on our trip home from our annual family reunion in Acadia National Park, I visited Rabbi Bill Siemers of Congregation Beth Israel in Bangor Continue Reading »
by Jill Maidhof We’re in the month of Elul, otherwise known as the on-ramp to the High Holidays, and I have a perfect story for the season: Arthur Kurzweil is a Jewish author, educator, publisher, and illusionist (!) who for years took the train into New York city for work. I had the privilege of hearing him recount a transformational Continue Reading »
by Michalee Merritt Here we are in the heat and wet days of summer. I am enjoying a slower pace of life. Trying to relax and keeping the calendar clear. When the calendar turns to August I start to think about what is coming in the fall. If you have kids it’s about school forms, Continue Reading »
by Rabbi Debra Smith Compassionate One in the Heavens Above: We pray for victims of cruelty, and violence, of all forms of hatred. We pray for those who have witnessed acts of violence. We pray for those who have succumbed to acts of violence. We pray for those who have perpetrated acts of violence upon Continue Reading »
by Jill Maidhof I’m writing this on July 11 and for many of us, the news is not good. If you’re on the east coast, I hope that you’re braving the rains and that your dams are holding strong. I wish those in the south a respite from unrelenting sun and hope that your air Continue Reading »
by Nina Woldin According to a Jewish Week article detailing the benefits of Jewish teen travel to Israel, “Israel [teen] trip alumni report higher levels of Jewish commitment, Jewish belonging and ritual observance years later than do others with similar Jewish upbringings.” (USCJ.org) One of the most rewarding parts of my job at Chai Mitzvah Continue Reading »
This morning over breakfast, our 8 year old grandson remarked, “I love the French Soccer Team, and if Israel was playing in the World Cup, I’d have a big dilemma of who to support.” This got me thinking about a discussion I had a number of years ago with Rabbi Bondenheimer, a German refugee who Continue Reading »
by Michalee Merritt The first day of summer was this past week. Kids are off from school and families tend to lead a slower pace. We plan vacations and outings. We look forward to seeing people that we only see in the summer. We talk about what books to read while we are laying by Continue Reading »
By Rabbi Deb Smith Our most recent virtual mussar lesson was about Humility/Anavah. In that class, we discussed a variety of Jewish texts that deal with finding a balance in terms of the amount of space, we take up in our relationships with others, and with our surroundings, and ultimately with the Divine. Our discussion Continue Reading »
by Jill Maidhof I don’t know what it’s like in your neck of the woods, but in Kansas it’s SUMMERTIME! I hope that you’re enjoying the sunshine and getting enough rain to nourish your garden – and enough Chai Mitzvah to nourish your need for meaningful conversations and fellowship. I’d like to share a discussion Continue Reading »
West Hartford, CT
860.206.8363
info@chaimitzvah.org
Copyright © 2025 Chai Mitzvah. All rights reserved. Website designed by Addicott Web.