Celebrating 50 Years of CBST
A Party Five Decades in the Making
Save the date to honor and celebrate CBST on Sunday, December 3, beginning at 4pm with “Fifty & Fabulous: Honoring Our Past, Celebrating Our Future.” Read a message from CBST President Sabrina Farber about this special event and stay tuned for more information coming soon!
For 50 years, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah has been praying, celebrating, dancing, mourning, singing, learning, and fighting for social justice. As we enter 2023, we are thrilled to celebrate our 50th Anniversary year.
On February 10, 2023, CBST’s official Anniversary Shabbat service wove together threads from each of our five decades of joy, spirituality, and pride. This video, shared for the first time during Anniversary Shabbat services, brings together a selection of photos from all fifty years of CBST’s history, along with music from our own CBST Community Chorus.
The CBST clergy, staff, and board are excited to honor this Yovel (Jubilee Year) with each of you. There will be many activities throughout the year, culminating in a major concert and event in December 2023.
For each month of 2023, we have chosen one Friday night to focus on the stories and experiences that make us CBST. Each of these twelve Friday nights will correspond to a chapter in Rabbi Ayelet Cohen’s book Changing Lives, Making History: Congregation Beit Simchat Torah.
Programming both during and after the service includes interviews, in-depth studies, special music and liturgical highlights, and more.
Here is a list of each of these evenings, along with the corresponding chapter in the book. Please read the chapter along with us each month!
The next Anniversary Shabbat will be on Friday, September 8, after Shabbat Services. Visit This Week’s Services for more info. To join an Oneg program via Zoom, please use the following meeting information: us02web.zoom.us/j/88438607107 or Meeting ID: 884 3860 7107
Miss a Friday evening program? Recordings will be available here after each event.
| January 27 | From Shopping Bag to Sanctuary |
| February 10 | Laying the Cornerstone |
| March 24 | The Impact of AIDS |
| April 21 | A Rabbi for CBST |
| May 12 | Rabbinic and Lay Leadership: The Cooperberg-Rittmaster Rabbinical Internship |
| June 9 | Inscribing the Text |
| July 28 | Days of Celebration and Awe |
| August 18 | Singing a New Song |
| September 8 | A Sacred Community |
| October 27 | Come Out and Learn |
| November 10 | Transforming Our World |
| December 15 | Building for the Future |
In 2023, we are offering Rabbi Cohen’s book at a discounted rate of $36. (If this presents a financial burden, please let us know and we can make other arrangements.) Click here to order your copy today.
To enrich your connection with CBST, we encourage you to read the chapter that corresponds to each month and actively participate in our year-long celebration. We cannot wait to celebrate with you