Congregation Beth Chaim - Princeton Junction, NJ

10/14/2026

Today Rabbi Blum went to NYU to attend and present at the second annual Forum on Faith with other faith leaders from our local community, joined by hundreds of others from many religious traditions from across the tristate area. She enjoyed learning from other speakers and meeting new colleagues in a shared attempt to bolster religion in America today.

10/07/2026

A message from Rabbi Adena Blum on this October 7th:

My heart is very heavy today. Three years ago, on this English date was a tragedy for the Jewish People that continues to wound so many, too many, and not only Jews, although that is my community. I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders as I try to lead my congregation with greater security (especially on this day), greater uncertainty, and greater existential loneliness. Today my eyes are quick to fill with tears, even at unexpected times, like when I routinely filled out a check request that required me to write the date. I don’t often post on social media, but today I feel compelled to say something to the universe. If you are reading this and unsure what to do or say, simply reach out to anyone you know who is Jewish to share that you are thinking of them on this October 7th, a date that Jews across the globe will carry with us for many more years to come. As I often do when seeking comfort, I turn to prayer. As I type and recite the following words, some of which are millennia old, I pray that they take flight throughout the internet and the broken world in which we live. May these words come true, speedily and in our day.

עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו, הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵינוּ, וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְעַל כָּל יוֹשׁבֵי תֵבֵל, וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן
Oseh shalom bimromav, hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu, v’al kol Yisrael, v’al kol yoshvei teiveil, v’imru: Amen.
May the One who makes peace in the high heavens make peace for us, for all [the Children of] Israel and ALL who inhabit the earth, and let us say: Amen.

05/15/2026

Beth Chaim President Elect Jon Rochkind accepts a proclamation from the West Windsor Town Council acknowledging Jewish American Heritage Month.

05/04/2026

Celebrating our Pre-School teachers as we kick off Teacher Appreciation Week!

04/03/2026

To help our neighbors celebrate Good Friday, Rabbi Blum joined other area preachers at Live Well Church in neighboring Windsor. You can watch her words at the 31-minute mark of the livestream link below. Wishing all a happy and healthy spring holiday season, and Shabbat shalom!

03/12/2026

With heavy hearts as we are all praying for a safe and peaceful resolution at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield MI, we share these poignant words of our colleague Rabbi Evan Schultz:

Synagogues are meant to be spaces of joy.
Spirituality and prayer. Learning Torah.
Repairing the world. Children singing.
Living the mitzvot. Building relationships.
Celebrating the Jewish holidays. Simchas.
And now they have become dangerous.
Active shooters. Security guards.
Police cars. Locked doors. Targets.
Security committees. Shooter drills.
Graffiti. Fear. Worry. Antisemitism.
Praying for those in Michigan.
Synagogues should never be like this.
May we one day, Godwilling, return.

03/01/2026

Purim is definitely coming! Our 4th grade baked hamantaschen … to get you in the mood - a pic of our final shpiel rehearsal! Join us tomorrow to see the show! Purim will be hopping here tomorrow starting at 4p with the Men’s Club Purim Carnival, a magic show at 5, dinner at 6 and our Megillah Reading/Purim Shpiel at 7pm. The evening ends with hamantaschen in the lobby!

02/27/2026

Yesterday, the Israeli Knesset advanced a bill that could ban and criminalize non-Orthodox prayer at the Western Wall. The bill grants sole control of the Kotel, including the egalitarian section, to the ultra-Orthodox Chief Rabbinate and allow criminal penalties of up to seven years in prison for Jews who pray at the Kotel in ways that do not conform to their standards. WRJ is familiar with what it means to oppose these standards; we have stood with Women of the Wall Nashot HaKotel, our longtime partners, as they face discrimination, harassment, and arrest for trying to pray at holy Jewish sites. This legislation lays the groundwork for excluding a majority of the world’s Jewish population, including women, from one of our religion’s holiest sites.

We must make it clear that the Kotel must remain a place where every Jew can pray according to their conscience and tradition. Take action now:

Click the action alert for your country’s capital (and nearest city if you have a consulate) to send a message to the ambassador and consulates against the Kotel bill.

02/22/2026

Our Fourth Grade presented their Jewish Superheroes projects this morning….and all of us can live the values they shared by bringing boxes of pasta for the Fourth Grade Pasta for Purim collection to benefit the JFCS Kosher Food Pantry.

02/22/2026

What a lovely Shabbat in Philadelphia with our Confirmation class.