- Wed, Dec 21,2011
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Welcome to Bnai Vail Congregation - Mon, Feb 8,2010
Welcome to Vail, and welcome to Bnai Vail.
We are building this site, as we build our community. Please help us with your pictures, thoughts articles as we want this to be our central repository of Jewish activity in Vail, and the greater Eagle County.
Join our discussion…
President’s Greeting - Tue, Jan 11,2011
The State of Our Congregation: An Overview
By Karen Numerof, President, December 2010
To date our membership for 2010-2011 is 196 units. A “unit” can be a single person, a couple or a family with children. Most of our “units” are couples or families which expands our total number to almost 500. We can no longer call ourselves a “small congregation”.
Our congregation is not a homogeneous group. We are full time residents of the Vail Valley, part-time residents and visitors from all over the country who come only at certain times of the year. We are members who were part of B’nai Vail from its beginning over 30 years ago, young families and many who have supported B’nai Vail through our years of growth and change.
The majority of our full-time members, including most families, live mid-valley, while our part-time residents (associate members) are spread out from Vail to down-valley. These demographics present many scheduling and location challenges. Using information gathered from our recent survey, to which we had an amazing response, the Board, Rabbi and committee members have put much thought into the scheduling of our special events, Shabbat services and programs.
We will continue to hold services and events at the Vail Chapel, and you will also begin to see some programs and services being scheduled at the new Edwards Interfaith Chapel and Community Center. This facility will soon be providing classrooms for our children and meeting rooms for committees. Many B’nai Vail members have played a major role in the realization and financial support of this long-time vision. I hope you all will attend our programs held at this beautiful center. You will see how our community is truly a unique example of interfaith collaboration.
Providing a Jewish education to the 60(!) children who attend our religious school continues to be a major focus. The success of this year’s “Pillar Membership Campaign” will provide support for our education programs and many other financial responsibilities of our congregation, as dues alone do not fund all our expenses. The pledges of our “Guardians” from “Imagine the Possibilities” continue to provide funding for our programs, such as 92nd St Y and celebrations for Hanukkah and Passover. If you are interested in becoming a “Guardian” or “Pillar”, please call the office at: (970) 477-2992
Our Board and the revitalized Membership Committee is focusing on ways to retain our members, seek new members, and be responsive to the needs and suggestions we heard from you through the survey. To date we have over 20 new members, some of whom were once members and have returned, and we are reaching out to those who have not renewed.
We must always pay attention to growing our membership base and each of us can be part of this process. Invite friends and people you meet to a service or event. Welcome those you don’t know at our services and programs. And most important, your participation creates wonderful energy and provides the motivation to belong to our Jewish community.
Here are some statistics which I believe reveal the commitment of our members and the support which goes beyond the mountains of Vail.
• 34 members stepped up the level of their membership this year to become “Pillars”.
• Over a third of our membership consists of part-time residents.
• 40% of our “Guardians” and 50% of our “Pillars” are part-time residents.
• Our extraordinary mountaintop services are attended by almost 200 people, who often are moved to then become members.
It is apparent that B’nai Vail is working hard to fulfill our Mission Statement….welcoming individuals and families of diverse backgrounds… creating a supportive environment that is spiritual, intellectual and social. We aspire to be a Jewish community that fosters a sense of belonging and enables us to connect with one another.
Although there will always be things we can improve upon, and we will always be challenged by transitions and the unexpected, B’nai Vail is strong and we are so because of you. Thank you for being a member.
B’Shalom
Karen Numerof
President
Leadville Mitzvah Weekend - Tue, Jun 21,2011
LEADVILLE MITZVAH WEEKEND
PLEASE JOIN US THIS WEEKEND JUNE 25th-26th, 2011
Did you know… the Leadville Jewish Cemetery is the only Jewish burial site within a two hour radius of Vail/Eagle County. B’nai B’rith of Denver, in conjunction with Leadville’s Temple Israel Foundation, arranges an annual mitzvah weekend during which Jewish families from Eagle, Summit, Lake, Pitkin and Denver counties gather together to celebrate our heritage.
Please join us this weekend, Saturday June 25th and Sunday June 26th!!!
This year B'nai B'rith is proud to announce the dedication of our Rescued Torah at the Saturday morning service. This 90-year-old Torah was purchased, then cleaned and restored to its original kosher condition by B'nai B'rith Denver. The Torah will be kept on site in Temple Israel in Leadville, and made available for the Jewish congregations of Aspen, Vail, and Summit County whenever needed.
Rabbi Debra Rappaport from B'nai Vail Congregation, Rabbi Joel Schwartzman from Synagogue of the Summit, Rabbi David Segal from Aspen Jewish Congregation, and Rabbi Birdie Becker from Denver will be taking part in the dedication of the Torah.
A Shabbat Service at 10:00 am at the beautifully restored Temple Israel on June 25 starts off the Saturday program, and is followed by an Oneg. At 5:30 pm at St. George Epsicopal Church there will be a community pot-luck with following Havdalah Service Saturday evening, where volunteers can enjoy an uplifting Jewish experience while preparing for the work ahead.
Sunday, June 26th is dedicated to the clean-up of the cemetery with a kosher barbeque lunch provided by B'nai B'rith Denver for all the volunteers. Clean-up starts at 9:00 am with free coffee and bagels available for early arrivals, and will continue until 4:00 pm.
Leadville, Colorado, from the late 1870s through the First World War and deep into the 20th Century developed as one of the best examples of a classic western American mining boom town. Recent Jewish immigrants were amongst the many groups of people attracted to the mine fields in the high Rockies. Representing all strata of society they and their fellow pioneers made new lives for themselves and their families while contributing to America’s evolving preeminence.
As Leadville grew explosively during the late 1870s it quickly realized a need for a Jewish burial space. As was typical on the Frontier, establishment of the cemetery preceded that of the synagogue. A synagogue was established in Leadville in 1884. Of a population on the order of 30,000, Jews accounted for some 300 residents during the early 1880s.
Starting in the 1990’s, B’nai B’rith of Denver and Temple Israel Foundation of Leadville have been inspiring volunteers from several counties to participate in the restoration of the cemetery and the synagogue. The cemetery is now in current use, and the Temple Israel synagogue building has been restored to its original beauty and is also a museum commemorating the Jewish experience in the industrializing West.
B’nai Vail Congregation has been serving the Jewish community of the Vail Valley and Eagle County since 1977 with a vibrant, inclusive and welcoming atmosphere.
For more information, see www.bnaivail.org, www.JewishLeadville.org and
