Welcome Letter
FROM OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dear Friends,
We are happy to introduce you to Beth Ami – Colorado Congregation for Humanistic Judaism. Beth Ami began in 1992 when it became affiliated with the Society for Humanistic Judaism. We have members throughout the Boulder-Denver metropolitan area.
Beth Ami means “house of my people” in Hebrew. The name reflects not only our Jewish heritage and identity but our sense of community and our welcoming spirit.
We provide a place where secular Jews can find a comfortable home. We appeal to those who respect and love our Jewish heritage and want to affiliate with others with similar viewpoints. We are Jews who want Jewish studies for our children and ourselves, who want to observe Jewish holidays, appreciate Jewish culture, and express a connection with the Jewish people and Israel in a non-theistic setting. Beth Ami welcomes as a Jew anyone who identifies with the history, culture, struggles, triumphs, and future of the Jewish people. Our membership includes those from diverse backgrounds, ages and interests.
Shalom from the Board of Directors,
Sheila Malcolm, Marti Hirsch, Lenore Kingston, Arlene Gerwin, Stu Dolnick
Sheila Malcolm, our Madrikha
Sheila Malcolm graduated from the Leadership Program offered through the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism (IISHJ, http://iishj.org). The purpose of this training is to develop professional leaders who serve the needs of the Secular Humanistic Jewish movement as Jewish ceremonial officiants, philosophic counselors, educators, and movement spokespersons. Within Beth Ami, Sheila facilitates services, creates and updates liturgy and plans congregational events, including a variety of outdoor activities.
M.A. Education, Madrikha/Professional Leader and Life Cycle Officiant
Sheila immigrated from NY to CO many years ago, where she married, raised two children, and completed a 40 year career as a teacher, mentor and substitute in Boulder Valley Schools. She now volunteers voraciously, nurtures the Beth Ami garden, bikes and hikes, and has grown into her role as Madrikha for Beth Ami. Sheila and John plan to continue their world travels. Their children and granddaughter, of course, now live in NYC.
Sheila explored many ways to be Jewish, and finally felt at home and at peace with her discovery of Secular Humanistic Judaism. After meeting Rabbi Wine, the founder of Humanistic Judaism, and other leaders in the movement, she decided to commit time, professional training and creative energy to support the Beth Ami community. She sits on the Executive Committee of the Board of the Society for Humanistic Judaism. She was a member of the former Jewish Together Boulder, and appreciates the community networking and friendships which resulted from that organization.
Sheila offers individualized wedding, baby-naming, Cultural B Mitzvahs and memorial services. Contact smalcolm280@gmail.com.
Contact Information
Congregation email: BethAmiInfo@gmail.com
Beth Ami "Friends" email list: For people who are not members but want to know about upcoming events and important news at Beth Ami, we have an official email list that you can join. This is a low-volume email list; you can expect to receive approx. 1-2 messages per month. This is a "blind" email list, meaning your email address will not appear in the "To" line for others to see. This list has restrictions on who can send to it; i.e. you will not receive any spam from this list.
