Recipes from recent Chai Society event:    Recipe for Apple & Honey Turnovers

                                                               Recipe for Ginger Pear Galette

                                                               Recipe for Sweet & Spicy New Year

The Chai Society of Congregation Beth El seeks to foster Jewish involvement and a sense of community through social activities and service to the congregation.

Whether you've been a member of the congregation for many years, or joined recently, we'd like to invite you to become a member of the Chai Society.

Our activities include Cookie Swaps, a Kugel Cook-off and Cooking demonstrations with professional chefs where we learned to make parve hors d'oeuvres and bake Challah and ruggelach,

But the Chai Society is not all fun and food!  We spearhead projects that benefit the entire Synagogue community: 

• Our Honey Project provides members the opportunity to send wishes for a sweet New Year along with a delicious bottle of honey anywhere the Post Office delivers
• Our annual Mishloach Manot drive and raises thousands of dollars each year.
• We initiated the Hesed Fund which provides meals while a member is sitting Shiva.
• Along with the L'Chaim Society we initiated and sponsored the purchase of a portable defibrillator for the Congregation.
• Our Knit and Nosh group created Friendship Quilts for wheelchair bound members of Beth El as well as nursing home residents and relocated home bound victims of Hurricane Katrina. This project was the recipient of a Solomon Schechter Award from the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
• At Kibbitz & Kippot, we were taught how to crochet kippot
• Our Book Club, Chai Time to Read which meets every other month in members' homes.

Congregation Beth El's Chai Society was represented on the steering committee of the UJA Federation Women's Seder, providing 2 table leaders, as well as having the largest single participating group at the Seder.

Currently we are working with Family and Children's Agency to present handmade baby items to at-risk mothers in their MOMS program.  Knit, crochet, sew - we have help and patterns available at our monthly gatherings.

Our active steering committee is geographically as well as demographically diverse and amazingly synergistic: Sharon DeFala, Michelle Fanwick, Pam Feldstein, Andrea Greenberg, Nancy Oberst, Hilary Shaefitz, Jere Moskovitz and Jessica Sheinman.

Our membership is constantly growing and reflects a cross section of our synagogue community.  To join us please contact Nancy Oberst at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or the office at (203) 838-2710