Congregation BJBE

10/08/2026

We've invited candidates running for Congress, the Illinois Senate, and the Illinois House to take part in the North Shore Jewish Community Candidate Forum.

Join us for a nonpartisan afternoon of conversation as candidates share their priorities and answer questions about the issues affecting our communities.

📅 Sunday, October 18 | 2 PM. Doors open at 1:30 PM
📍 Congregation BJBE
🎤 Moderated by Paris Schutz

All who RSVP by October 15 are welcome.

👉 See the full list of candidates who were invited and RSVP at https://bjbe.shulcloud.com/form/attendee-sign-up.html

10/07/2026

To Our BJBE Family:

Three years ago, October 7 entered the Jewish calendar and the Jewish soul as a date we will never forget. We remember those who were murdered, those who were taken hostage, the families shattered, the communities destroyed, and the extraordinary heroism of those who ran toward danger to save another human life. We remember the loneliness that followed, the failure of so much of the Western world to recognize our pain, and the helpless anger so many of us felt as we watched hatred denied, excused, or even celebrated. Judaism commands us to remember. We will carry their names and tell their stories. But memory does not mean defining ourselves only by what has been done to us.

There is one thing Hamas, Jew hatred, and every force hostile to the Jewish people can never do: tell us who we are. They do not get to define Judaism or Israel, and we are done asking others to validate our right to exist. We know who we are. We are the people who mourn and somehow find the courage to dance again. We answer hatred with more Judaism, isolation with community, and darkness with light. We will send another child to Jewish summer camp. We will light Shabbat candles. We will come to synagogue. We will learn Torah. We will travel to Israel. We will give tzedakah. We will perform another mitzvah. We will refuse to surrender the joy that has sustained the Jewish people for thousands of years.

October 7 will always be part of our story, but it will not be the story of the Jewish people. What will define us is what we choose to do because we remember. We will honor those we lost not only with tears, but with Jewish lives lived fully and proudly. We will build stronger Jewish homes, stronger communities, and a stronger future. We will mourn, we will remember, and yes, we will dance again. Because our enemies do not write the story of the Jewish people. We do.

Sincerely,
Rabbi Adam Wright, Senior Rabbi
Cantor Jennifer Frost, Senior Cantor
Rabbi Zachary Canali, Assistant Rabbi
Cantor Kevin McKenzie, Assistant Cantor

10/06/2026

🥋 Olympic strength. Israeli pride. An extraordinary story. 🇮🇱
Join us Thursday, October 22 at 7 PM as BJBE welcomes Peter Paltchik, two-time Olympic bronze medalist and one of Israel’s most celebrated athletes.
Hear Peter’s inspiring story of resilience, leadership, determination, and Israeli pride.
All are welcome!
🔗 Sign up: bjbe.shulcloud.com/form/peterbjbe

10/05/2026

🎶 Sh’ma Koleinu by Max Helfman, sung by Cantor Jennifer Frost.

Hear our voice, O God. Show us compassion and accept our prayer with love.

As we approach the anniversary of October 7, we share this prayer with the hope that God will hear our voices, that our prayers will be received with compassion and grace, and that we may soon know peace. 🕯️

“Sh’ma Koleinu” is one of Max Helfman’s most beloved compositions associated with the High Holy Days.

Sh'ma Koleinu by Max Helfman sung by Cantor Jennifer FrostSh'ma Ko...

10/01/2026

When it comes to BJBE and fun, boy did they know how to SCHTICK with it!

Check out this gem from the early '80s in the BJBE Social Hall sent to us by Eliot Shapiro. From left to right—Ben & Barbara Shapiro, Rabbi Mark & Hanna Shapiro.

Have a great photo to share? Go to bjbe.shulcloud.com/form/throwbackthursday

10/01/2026

There was sushi. There was sake. There was song. And a whole lot of fun! 🍣🍶🎶 Check out some photos from our Adult Sukkot Party!

09/30/2026

Small mitzvah. Big impact. 💙

Inspired by Rabbi Wright’s sermon, Merrilee Waldron reminds us that a few kind words can go a long way. Stop by our Project Nourish Notes of Cheer writing station and add a message to the lunches we provide for people in need!💌

09/30/2026

Dear BJBE Family,

We awoke this morning to frightening news from Israel.

A flight carrying approximately 180 Israelis from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a terrifying incident in the cockpit. According to passengers who filmed the attack, the aircraft suddenly plunged thousands of feet, the captain was attacked, and passengers courageously intervened to subdue the individual believed to have endangered the aircraft.

But I keep thinking about the timing.

We are celebrating Sukkot, when we deliberately leave the security of our homes and dwell beneath the fragile roof of the sukkah. We are reminded that life is fragile, that security can never be taken for granted, and that our responsibility is to cherish every moment we are given.

This morning, approximately 180 people are alive. Families will embrace their loved ones again. And in a moment of terror, ordinary people found extraordinary courage. They did not run. They showed up. They acted.

That is Jewish courage.

Today, beneath the fragile roof of our sukkah, we say Hodu l’Adonai ki tov, ki l’olam chasdo.

We thank God for life. We thank God for courage. And we pray for the safety of Am Yisrael.

​​​​​​​Sincerely,
Rabbi Adam Wright, Senior Rabbi
Cantor Jennifer Frost, Senior Cantor
Rabbi Zachary Canali, Assistant Rabbi
Cantor Kevin McKenzie, Assistant Cantor

09/29/2026

Our littlest learners are big on Torah! 💙📖
Join us for a big Shabbat celebrating 🎉 Simchat Torah & Consecration of our new JLC Learners!

Come dance, sing, and celebrate Torah with us on Friday, October 2. The pre-oneg is at 5:15 PM and the service is at 6 PM.

Then join us on Saturday, October 3 at 9:30 AM for✨ Kol Shabbat, Simchat Torah Festival Service & Yizkor.

09/28/2026

🎶 Sometimes the most powerful messages come in a whisper.

“Be Holy, Hear the Whisper,” with words and music by Peter & Ellen Allard, sung by Cantor Jennifer Frost, Cantor Kevin McKenzie, and the BJBE Choir on Yom Kippur. 💙

Turn up the volume and take a listen.

Words and Music by Peter & Ellen Allard. From our Yom Kippur Servic...