Temple Beth El Blog

The TBE Civic Engagement Action Team is working to ensure that every voice is heard in our democracy. This summer and fall we have a variety of nonpartisan activities to register voters and get out the vote for the August 13 and November 5 elections. Even if you will be on vacation, make a plan to vote in the August 13 election, since there are important primaries and binding constitutional amendments on that ballot.

The binding constitutional amendments on the August 13 ballot will be:
Question 1: “Delegation of appropriation power. Shall section 35 (1) of article IV of the constitution be created to provide that the legislature may not delegate its sole power to determine how moneys shall be appropriated?”
Question 2: “Allocation of federal moneys. Shall section 35 (2) of article IV of the constitution be created to prohibit the governor from allocating any federal moneys the governor accepts on behalf of the state without the approval of the legislature by joint resolution or as provided by legislative rule?”

➕A "yes" vote on these two measures would mean that legislative approval is required before the governor can spend any federal money appropriated to the state. Proponents favor shifting control of federal funding from the governor to the legislature.
➕A "no" vote would allow the governor to continue to accept and allocate federal funds without seeking legislative approval. Opponents believe the proposed amendments would reduce and delay the use of federal funds to help citizens, especially in times of emergency. 

What can you do to increase voter turnout?

• Vote on August 13 and November 5. Go to myvote.wi.gov to register, change your address, or request an absentee ballot. Email slevy51@gmail.com if you need assistance.
• Help others register to vote. Our TBE goal is to register 100 new voters by November. TBE volunteers will register UW students as they pick up their bus passes and at the Division of Motor Vehicles, farmer’s markets, and other places. Don’t worry if you haven’t done it before—the League of Women Voters provides a quick, online training and lots of support. 
• Send postcards to get out the vote. We will have several “postcard parties” where we provide the postcards and mailing lists and you provide the personal touch and the camaraderie. 
• Canvass door to door. Our TBE team will partner with the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign to provide information to voters in low-turnout wards.

 Join us! Participation is easy: let us know you’re interested, and we’ll let you know about upcoming opportunities. For more information, contact Susan Levy (slevy51@gmail.com) or Marcia Vandercook (Marcia.Vandercook@gmail.com).

As a beit midrash (house of study), TBE offers lifelong education in our excellent Religious and Hebrew School and Jewish experiences for all ages. 

Throughout a busy 2023–24, we celebrated the b’nai mitzvah of 11 students, our Hebrew school classes were introduced to a new curriculum, the Swarsensky Memorial Weekend offered teachings from an inspiring Chicago rabbi, and our weekly Torah Study sessions explored texts beyond the Five Books. Read more below about how learning continues at TBE.

Check out the other sections of our Year in Review 2023–24 to read about our worship, community events, and social action activities.

Youth Education Committee

 The Youth Education Committee collaborates with the director of lifelong learning and other TBE staff to provide an engaging and fulfilling Religious School experience for children at Temple. We help with Religious School and youth group programming and events, as well as provide policy support and feedback.

This year we introduced chugim (activities) to the Religious School schedule. Chugim included: 

• Library, where Men’s Club volunteers read to our youngest learners and students can check out books to read at home.
• Rikud (Israeli Dance), which got everyone up and moving.
• Cooking, where our older students learned kitchen skills, Jewish and Israeli recipes, and Hebrew vocabulary all at the same time.
• Art, where students made beautiful Judaica.
• Chug Ivrit, where Hebrew came to life in project-based learning. 

The Youth Education Committee sold snacks before and after Hebrew School this year, which funded the Hanukkah candles that all families received as a gift just before the holiday. 

Security continues to be top of mind. We have updated security procedures and signage and are exploring additional improvements. We are grateful to the many volunteers who were greeters on Sunday mornings. 

Our students began learning modern Hebrew this year as part of the curriculum. The students made great progress and we look forward to building on this program to create learners who are conversational in Hebrew by the time they finish their studies at TBE.

The MaTTY Pasta Dinner and Dessert Auction featured a “whodunit” mystery theme this year. 

The Youth Education Committee hosts one Koffee Kibbitz per grade level each year at Café Panim to give grade-level parents/guardians time to get to know one another while their children are at Religious School.
 

MaTTY (9th–12th grade) 
MaTTY has made considerable progress this year. We started off the year with 12 high schoolers attending our mini-golf event and ended the year with 16 attending our last Maccabiah event, which was planned entirely by the MaTTY board.

MaTTY is self-funded by the annual MaTTY Pasta Dinner and Dessert Auction. This year we raised over $2,000, which was divided up between the MaTTY Programming Fund and TBE’s scholarship fund for NFTY (Reform Jewish youth movement) activities. Here is the list of our events with the number of high school students attending each one:

• Mini-golf event: 12
• Hanukkah party: 12
• Bowling event: 14
• Maccabiah event: 16

MuTTY (6th–8th grade) and JEWniors (3rd–5th grade) 
MuTTY and JEWniors had four combined Youth Day events this year immediately following Religious School. Attendance ranged from 10 to 25 participants. 

Congregational Education Committee 

Swarsensky Memorial Weekend
The 2023 Swarsensky Memorial Weekend scholar-in-residence was Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann of Mishkan Chicago. During three events over the weekend, she brought us (1) new and inspiring perspectives on the lighting of Shabbat candles, (2) a deep reading of the Torah portion Chayei Sarah (Life of Sarah), and (3) ideas and personal examples of ways to make Jewish community work for younger and diverse Jews. Many congregants expressed their gratitude for how her visit offered opportunities to think creatively about enriching relationships within our congregation.

My Jewish Journey
Over three Sundays in March 2024, we engaged in conversations to learn and share individual histories of members of the congregation. 

• We heard from Orly Klugman and Arik Roginsky, both Israeli Americans.
• We heard from immigrants Irina and Yefim Shklyar (from Belarus), Rubi Hayam (from Turkey), and Marta Karlov (from Colombia).
• We heard from two Jews by choice: Todd Giesfeldt and Francesca Rodriquez.
• Recognizing that many of us were not born and raised in American Jewish families, we wanted to understand about the many pathways of nationality and culture that have contributed to our TBE community.

Right to left: Yefim and Irina Shklyar, Marta Karlov, Rubi Hayam, and moderator Charles Cohen.

Beyond the Five Books
For the third year, the Torah Study group in five of its regular Saturday morning sessions explored other readings from our sacred writings beyond the first five books, the Torah.

• The Book of Esther, led by Larry Kohn
• The Book of Joshua (1–8), led by Steve Olson
• Finding King David/The Book of Samuel, led by David Kopstein
• Proverbs, led by Steven Crade
• Images of the Matriarchs in the Torah, led by Alan Garfield

We value the connections we make when we gather as a beit knesset, a house of community, sharing Jewish activities, Temple involvement, and social connections. 

Highlights in 2023–24 included a joyful Whole Latke Fun Hanukkah party for young families, dinner and breakfast gatherings for single seniors, an event to learn about Vietnam veterans’ experiences hosted by Sisterhood and Men’s Club, and our 57th annual Food-A-Rama for the entire community. Read more below about our programs and events for everyone!

Check out the other sections of our Year in Review 2023–24 to read about our worship, study, and social justice activities and accomplishments.

Families with Young Children 

Our Families with Young Children group relies on parent participation and is geared toward kids in 2nd grade and under and their families. We love having multiple generations join us. We met about once a month, occasionally more. Thanks to Ellen Cecil-Lemkin, Alexander Lemkin, and Nick Nunez for co-chairing this year.
 

In partnership with our 4K Religious School class, families with young kids enjoyed songs with Cantor Jacob Niemi, crafts, a story, and snack at Tots and Tunes on six Sunday mornings during the school year.
 

We enjoyed a special Tot Shabbat with Musician in Residence Dan Nichols.

We made ourselves at home at TBE as we enjoyed a pizza dinner, Havdalah, and our glowstick dance party. This has become a favorite of our young families.
 

Our “A Whole Latke Fun” Hanukkah party was well attended: almost 150 people, from newborns to grandparents, joined in the festivities.

Singles Creating Community 

Singles Creating Community brings together single seniors, age 65 or older, who meet twice monthly to enjoy a good meal and conversation together, once for breakfast and once for dinner. The morning “coffee klatch” is always on Fridays, and the dinners are usually on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. The December dinner is a New Year’s Eve potluck meal, celebrated at the home of a gracious host.

About 25 people have attended at least one of these gatherings, of which about 18 attend on a semi-regular basis. Most attendees are members of TBE, and about 5 people are unaffiliated or members of other congregations who have found us on the TBE website or heard about us from friends. 

Men’s Club

The Men’s Club fosters healthy relationships among the men of TBE, guided by the principles and values of Reform Judaism, compatible with the vision of TBE and in support of its leadership and congregation. The vision of the Men’s Club is to create and sustain a vibrant and inclusive club membership engaged in social, religious, and educational activities. We currently have a membership of 104 men.

Our activities cover a wide scope from landscaping to reading to golf to speakers. Our Book Club meets monthly and alternates between fiction and nonfiction choices. Some of this year’s books included: 

• "The Dutch House" by Ann Patchett
• "A World Without Soil: The Past, Present, and Precarious Future of the Earth Beneath Our Feet" by UW professor Jo Handelsman, who presented the 2024 Joel Pedersen Memorial Lecture
• "One Summer: America, 1927" by Bill Bryson
• "The Personal Librarian" by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
• "How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America" by Clint Smith

In summer 2023 we enjoyed our annual retreat at a pastoral site for reflection and discussion led by clergy.

In spring 2024, Men’s Club Shabbat carried on the energy Louis Swedarsky shared with his musicianship for Yismachu! We also gathered to spread mulch to beautify the Beit Olamim cemetery on Mineral Point Road.


The Men’s Club began a golf group that plays best ball at a local course. We also gather for card games several times a year at a member’s home. 

Sisterhood 

For the 57th annual Food-A-Rama in November, we welcomed people back into the dining room and the bakery for the first time since 2019!

We also enjoyed fun evening last fall learning to make kosher-style charcuterie boards to impress our guests!

Our joint event with Men’s Club in the spring focused on women veterans and Vietnam veterans from Wisconsin.

Interfaith Outreach and Education

Temple Beth El actively engages in interfaith relationships through our group visitation program. We share the beliefs and traditions of Judaism with visitors, while demonstrating our current practices. 
We welcomed nearly 1,000 visitors from September to May, from many churches and schools throughout Wisconsin. Organizations interested in visiting Temple Beth El are welcome to contact the office at 608-238-3123.

Communications

The Communications Committee helps the congregation and community learn about all we do at TBE!

Staff and volunteers together produced in 2023–24:

• 5 Giving Spotlight emails, 4 Social Justice Spotlight emails plus a Mitzvah Day accomplishments email, and a new Sisterhood Spotlight 
• 5 Bulletin issues
• Weekly Happenings emails every Wednesday
• 9 event publicity postcards
• Numerous quick-turnaround congregational emails responding to current events and TBE happenings
• LinkedIn page for TBE 
• A Toast to Rabbi Biatch invitation and program 
• Display of Rabbi Biatch’s social justice activities 
• Publicity of the Endowment for Spiritual Leadership donation match in fall 2023
• Membership renewal brochure and emails
• High Holy Day communications, web page, program, and Book of Remembrance
• Facebook and Instagram posts

Notable accomplishments this year include editing and posting several new web pages:

• Visitor guide, in web and PDF versions
• Solar panels—check out the photos from the installation!
• Code of Ethical Conduct for members, a Union for Reform Judaism initiative 
• Emergency procedures (member login required)

Behind the scenes, we helped edit grant applications for security funding, the rabbi search booklet, and the Caring Committee request and volunteer forms supporting the relaunch of that committee, in addition to all the planning and coordination that makes all this possible!

Temple Beth El’s fiscal year ended on June 30, 2024. Final reporting on the past year will not be completed until late July. These projections about the current year’s budget and revenue have guided us as we set goals for the coming fiscal year: 

• Membership contributions are projected to come in 4% higher than budgeted. Thank you for understanding the need for increased contributions.
• Memorial donations are projected to come in approximately 7% higher than budgeted. Thank you for honoring those we have lost with donations in their memory and for making donations in honor of both sad and joyful life occasions.
• Fundraising is projected to come in 3% lower than budgeted. The budgeted amount was based on obtaining more sponsors like Cress. If you know of a business that may be interested in sponsorship, please contact Stefanie Kushner at exec@tbemadison.org.
• Staff compensation is predicted to come in about 3% below budget. This is due to the variability in scheduling for some of our staff (such as facilities assistants and youth advisors), whose hours differed from what was budgeted. Our largest expense continues to be personnel.
• With all the wonderful events we have had this year, our program revenue is up over 20%. While our expenses for events are also higher than budgeted, they do not exceed our revenue.
• Our solar panels continue to save us money. We decreased our budgeted expense, and we will come in under budget from that amount. We are excited to see this cost savings, and we are pleased to be doing our part to help the environment.
• Our facilities team continues to maintain our building within the budget and plans necessary maintenance in the spring, once final numbers for spending on unplanned expenses are available.

Overall we are projecting a surplus in the operating budget. As was explained in the May Giving Spotlight, 25% of our revenue comes from our endowed funds. This surplus allows us to pay back funds used from our endowments. Specifically, the Larry Kohn Chair for Jewish Learning fund, the purpose of which is to provide high-quality Jewish education, funds the compensation for our director of lifelong learning. With this surplus we can pay back what we “borrowed” from this fund to keep the balance healthy and maintain a secure financial future for education at TBE.

The Tobias name has deep roots at Temple Beth El. Vivian and Joseph Tobias were founding members. Vivian was a Sisterhood president and Joseph was a TBE board president. Harry and Marjorie were both TBE board presidents, and Marjorie was a Sisterhood president. Their daughter Amy was a Sisterhood president (twice) and TBE board president and currently serves as Sisterhood treasurer and upcoming Food-A-Rama co-chair. Granddaughter Molly Fields continues the family TBE leadership tradition as Sisterhood’s vice president for programming.

In addition to their many contributions to TBE capital campaigns, Marjorie and Harry Tobias established the Tobias Jewish Programming Fund at Temple Beth El to support and ensure our engaging programming.

Marjorie and Harry were not only active and generous participants, but they were early TBE Dorot Society members. Dorot legacy members provide advance notification of their commitment to include TBE in their estate planning.
 
We recently received the Tobiases’ charitable bequest, directed to the Tobias Jewish Programming Fund, from Marjorie’s estate. With this gift, the Tobias family’s generosity will have long-lasting benefits to our congregation.

We are so grateful to the Tobias family and their continued dedication to Temple Beth El.
If you are interested in more information about Temple Beth El’s Dorot Society or other giving opportunities, please contact Executive Director Stefanie Kushner at exec@tbemadison.org.

Looking to volunteer? Need a b’nai mitzvah project? Here are ways to help people in our community. 

Chevra Kadisha: Ordinary People Doing Holy Work
For over a century, a devoted group of Jewish Madisonians has cared for our community by preparing bodies for burial according to Jewish tradition. This group, called the Chevra Kadisha (sacred colleagues), has a pressing need for new volunteers to provide this critical service. If you think you may be able to help, please join us for a learning session on May 31 or June 2 at Beth Israel Center. To RSVP or express interest, contact Rabbi Renée Bauer (rabbi@jssmadison.org, 608-424-4033) or Kristin Geil (kristin@jssmadison.org).

Serve Supper at the Catholic Multicultural Center
Sign up for April 16, May 21, or June 18.

Cook Meals for Healing House
Sign up to drop off meals May 12 to 18.

Donate for Mitzvah Day
For Mitzvah Day on April 14 we are collecting items needed for Mitzvah Day projects. These donations can be left in the coatroom at Temple Beth El. Monetary donations to the Social Action Fund are also welcome to fund our Mitzvah Day projects. Donations can be made online or as part of Mitzvah Day registration.

Volunteer for Voting Rights 
The TBE Civic Engagement Action Team is preparing for an active year in 2024! Our nonpartisan activities include registering voters together with the League of Women Voters, going door-to-door with the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Coalition, and holding postcard parties in support of national issues suggested by the Union for Reform Judaism’s Religious Action Center. To get involved, please contact Sue Levy or Marcia Vandercook. 

More Volunteer Opportunities

Please visit our Social Action web page for our ongoing volunteer opportunities.

“Leading with the heart” is the approach this year’s Blockstein presenter, Bojana Zorić Martinez, has followed in her work with refugees. Bojana is the state refugee coordinator and director of refugee programs at the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. A refugee herself, having fled as a teenager with her family from war-torn Bosnia in 1995, she knows what it’s like to be torn away from everything you know and navigate a new culture, frightened and vulnerable, but determined to make a new life. 

Speaking to a large audience on February 11, Bojana noted that the UN Commission on Human Rights estimates that there are 110 million displaced people in the world today, 40 million of whom are refugees, and half of whom are children. Shockingly, fewer than 1% of these displaced people get to resettle in a country like the U.S. She emphasized that this is why she is so passionate about making sure we resettle as many people as we can, by building our capacity and growing our programs. These include programs for migrants at the southern border, asylum-seeking migrants, migrants on humanitarian parole, and undocumented migrants. Many of these people have experienced the same kind of trauma as refugees but are not looked at the same way and are not able to receive the same benefits. 

While in the past few years the U.S. has had increasing numbers of refugees and migrants due to the crisis in Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine, climate change, civil wars, and violence, this coming year a record number of refugees is expected due to the situations in Cuba and Haiti, among others. 

Making this crisis even more challenging is the way refugee resettlement, once a bipartisan issue, has become politicized. In addition to misinformation, there has been the development of hate groups who are threatened by people who don’t look like them, don’t have the same religion, etc. Yet refugees are the most vetted group in the U.S., waiting two years or longer to receive permission to enter the country. 

Asked what we as individuals can do, Bojana emphasized that it takes a village. Wisconsin has been a welcoming state due to the support of volunteers and the teams of people in agencies such as Jewish Social Services of Madison, Open Doors for Refugees, Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice, and the Office of New Americans. She urged us to keep volunteering, keep supporting local groups who provide services to refugees and immigrants, and continuing to voice our support for refugees and for immigration reform. After all, no one asks to be a refugee, but if we lead with our hearts, we can provide vulnerable people with a safe and welcoming home. 

We are pleased to welcome Rabbi Jonathan (Jon) Prosnit as the next rabbi of Temple Beth El, starting on July 1, 2024, as Rabbi Jonathan Biatch progresses to a rabbi emeritus role.

For the past 12 years, Rabbi Prosnit has been part of the rabbinical team at Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, California. Originally from New York, he earned his bachelor's degree from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and was ordained by the Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. As a rabbinical student, he worked in East Liverpool, Ohio; Melbourne, Australia; The Village Temple in Manhattan; and Temple Micah in Washington, D.C.

Rabbi Prosnit is married to Erin Gleeson, who is an artist. They have two sons, Ezra and Max, and a daughter, Winnie.

Search committee co-chairs Niles Berman and Julia Katz commented, “In last year’s listening sessions and survey, the congregation told us what they were looking for in our next rabbi. That vision guided our diverse Search Committee at every step of the process. The traits the congregation identified as most important to them describe Rabbi Prosnit ‘to a T.’ We could not be more enthusiastic.”

Rabbi Prosnit said, “I am thrilled to be joining the community of Temple Beth El. It has been such a delight to feel the warm embrace of such a thoughtful, compassionate and welcoming community.  Every person I’ve interacted with, from the outstanding professional staff to the strong lay leadership to the wonderful community members, has demonstrated a love and desire to bring the best of Jewish history, teachings and practices to life. My family and I are excited to be able to join Temple Beth El.”

Temple Beth El, the largest synagogue in Madison, Wisconsin, is affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), which represents the progressive tradition of Judaism. Founded in 1939, Temple Beth El offers a vibrant Jewish program encompassing religious, spiritual, social action, educational, and social activities, for nearly 600 member households. Rabbi Prosnit will be the fifth senior rabbi in the congregation’s history.

As Rabbi Jonathan Biatch goes through his office library, he wants to share some of his favorite titles with the community by offering them in a book sale. You're invited to come and browse the books in this donation-based sale. The book sale cart is typically located in the Weinstein Community Court. 
 
All donations from the book sale will go to the Giller Library Fund for enhancements to our library-management system and for the purchase of new books. Enjoy this opportunity to add to your own library while helping TBE’s! Thank you, Rabbi Biatch.

Tim and Kathy Mazur, along with their daughter, Lauren, have been members of TBE since 2007. Their membership is due, in large part, to a special friendship. Rabbi Jonathan Biatch met the Mazurs through their children when they were all in school together. Through the years, Tim and Kathy became close friends with Rabbi Biatch and Rabbi Bonnie Margulis. Both rabbis had honors during Lauren’s wedding this summer. 

Rabbi Biatch and the Mazurs share a passion for helping those in need. That is why Tim and Kathy established the Rabbi Jonathan Biatch Endowment Fund, which will help Temple Beth El members needing assistance. It is a fitting tribute to Rabbi Biatch that will continue his dedication to ensuring the well-being of the TBE community.
 
Thank you, Tim and Kathy Mazur, for this wonderful legacy to Rabbi Biatch.

Photo by Loan Dang | loveineverymoment.com

I am so grateful to the more than 580 Temple Beth El households that have renewed their membership for 2024. This year, 65% of TBE households that renewed by January 1 increased their contribution from last year, with an average increase of 8% from those households that increased their contribution. Overall, the total increase in contributions from our entire community is 3%.

Thank you for the time and reflection you put into considering your financial commitment to TBE. Thank you, too, for understanding that membership contributions represent 75% of the total revenue used to run our programs and services, compensate staff, and keep the lights on in our building! 

February is Black History Month, an annual celebration of African Americans' achievements, with many opportunities to honor the central role of Black Americans throughout history and today. Temple Beth El’s Racial Justice Action Team suggests the following:

• Check out the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce and the Black Business Hub, scheduled to open soon.
•  Extraordinary and innovative artists will be featured in “Restoring the Black Woman” at Madison College's Dzigbodi Akyea Art Exhibit on February 1, hosted by the Black Women’s Affinity Group at Madison College. 
• Also at Madison College is a production of “The Meeting,” a 1987 play by Jeff Stetson that imagines a meeting between civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. The Nobleman Theater Troupe is bringing the show to Madison College on Saturday, February 10. 
• Most Madison public libraries are hosting movie nights that explore the African American experience. A list of books, events, and resources is located on the Madison Public Library website.

In November, TBE Sisterhood had a great evening as Suzanne Wolf shared her kosher charcuterie board building knowledge with us. Event attendees brought their own boards to build on and got to take home a beautiful arrangement of delicious snacks.