diff erences among members.

“We once had a fi ght about God —
which was, when I think about it, quite
lovely — between someone who was an
atheist, a raging atheist, and a very reli-
gious member,” Levy said. “I remem-
ber it with great fondness because I
couldn’t believe it was happening.”
Chavurah Bet celebrated life cycle
events with one another: births and
b’nai mitzvahs, with Levy’s son being
the fi rst to come of age in the group.

And the group, 50 years later, is expe-
riencing yet another profound life cycle
stage. Particularly over the past few
years, several of its members have died.

Levy said she was not able to attend
the funerals of members because of
COVID. Th ough the deaths were a defi ning
part of its continued existence, the
chavurah remained resilient over the
pandemic. Attendance and events have
always waxed and waned over the years,
Goldberg said, but the pandemic and
increased use of Zoom enabled the
group to host frequent book clubs and
virtual movie viewings.

However, the group is mostly sus-
tained by its original generation, with
the children and grandchildren of the
Chavurah Bet members at their 30th anniversary
celebration chavurah moving away and no longer
attending events.

“Th ey basically formed their own
lives ... they developed their own
paths,” Elliot Seif said.

Th e chavurah’s core group is still
strong, according to the Seif couple.

Even during years with a scarcity of
programming or events, there’s an
understanding that not everyone in the
group needs to be organizing services
or holidays; the chavurah has a future
as long as the members keep in touch in
some capacity.

“It’s tradition and friendship that
have kept us together,” Ellie Seif said. JE
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