Years ago, when Pam and I first joined a Reform congregation, I noticed that the walls of the synagogue were adorned with pictures of young women and men in robes, usually accompanied by the rabbi and cantor. A small engraved plaque identified each photograph as the “Confirmation Class” of some year. The photos stretched back Continue Reading »
First, a little Hebrew. The three root letters of shavu’ot are shin-bet-ayin — the same root that yields the word sheva’, “seven, sevenfold, seven times.” (In the language of the Bible, sheva’ can also mean the less specific “many times.”) Sheva’ appears frequently in Jewish tradition. The sheva b’rachot, “seven blessings,” are recited at a Continue Reading »
I don’t know what it means. It’s boring. It just drags on and on. There’s so much to read. I’m hungry. Being allowed to have only a small bite of food each time we say a blessing is torture. Horseradish doesn’t taste good. My extended family speaks different languages. I’m not allowed to text at Continue Reading »
Our teens have had several terrific travel experiences over the past two months. In January, we launched a new overnight trip to New York City for our eighth and ninth graders. It was a tremendous success. We had fun and still learned so much. The itinerary included visits to the historic Central Synagogue for Shabbat, Continue Reading »
Welcome back to all! We hope you had a good summer. We are so excited about the new program year and look forward to seeing you when Religious School opens on Sunday, September 10 and throughout the year. Each year on opening day, we begin with a conversation. We ask you to imagine your child Continue Reading »
Our teens have had two terrific travel experiences over the past few months. In December, our 10th grade confirmation class went to Washington, D.C. for the L’Taken Seminar for Social Justice with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. L’Taken is an educational leadership program that exposes students to a variety of issues, Continue Reading »
The Temple Beth-El Sisterhood, a member of the Atlantic District of the Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ), is thrilled to share with the entire Temple Beth-El family that our own Lisa Friedman has been selected as this year’s recipient of the Jane Siegel Tikkun Olam Award. This award is presented at each WRJ district’s biennial Continue Reading »
