Temple Beth El Blog

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. 

One of our Temple Beth El matriarchs, Marjorie Tobias, passed away on November 27, 2023. She was a driving force at Temple, and well beyond, for more than seven decades, and we have much for which to be grateful, as we honor her many contributions.

A native of Chicago, in 1949, Marj married Harry Tobias, whose parents were founding members of TBE. Marj followed her father-in-law and husband in Temple leadership and her mother-in-law as Sisterhood president. Even with four very young daughters at home, Marj herself became Sisterhood president from 1961 to 1963. Later when asked to be secretary of the Temple, she said she’d rather be the president and served from 1974 to 1976—the first woman to lead a congregation in the Midwest!

Beyond Temple Beth El, Marj went on to serve as the president of District 18 of the Midwest Federation of Temple Sisterhoods, part of the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods (now known as Women of Reform Judaism) from 1976 to 1978. In this role, she also sat on the national board for many years, with annual meetings in New York.

Marj led an extraordinary life. She was vivacious and intrepid. She was devoted to TBE and the Madison community. As part of her legacy, Marj taught her family (four daughters, nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren and their significant others) the value of service.

A point of pride for Marj was that all of her children belong to URJ congregations. Daughter Amy Fields has served as president of both TBE and TBE Sisterhood (twice!) and remains very actively involved in the leadership of both. Granddaughter Molly Fields is following admirably in the large footsteps of both Marj and Amy, and we are all the better for Marj and her family!

May Marj’s good deeds and our memories of her always be a blessing.

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

TBE Caring Committee 

In keeping with the Jewish principle of providing hesed (lovingkindness) to those in need, Temple Beth El has a Caring Committee to offer support and help to fellow congregants.  

Any TBE member can ask for assistance, and any member may suggest to TBE clergy, staff, or leadership that someone might need help. Once a request is made, the chair of the Caring Committee will follow up to determine the need and, where appropriate, assign the request to volunteers. You can use our online form to request care or suggest it for others, or contact the TBE office 608-238-3123.

You can also volunteer to offer care, including calls, cards, visits, meal preparation and delivery, and shopping and transportation. These tasks may be ongoing or short-term, and volunteers can be reimbursed for expenses. Use our online volunteer signup form, or call the TBE office.

. For questions, contact Caring Committee chair Eve Siegel or Rabbi Jonathan Biatch.

Serving Meals at the Catholic Multicultural Center 

If you are looking for a fun, easy opportunity to help the community and spend quality time as a team, you can help serve a meal at the Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC). CMC provides free meals to community members on Madison's south side and people experiencing homelessness. Our volunteers set out and serve the food, join the meal, and then do the dishes and clean up. The Catholic Multicultural Center is located at 1862 Beld Street, Madison, WI 53713. 

Our TBE team is signed up to help on the third Tuesday of each month from 3:30 to 5:30 pm. If you’re interested in engaging with other TBE members to meet this critical community need, click the sign-up link. Contact Sue Levy if you have questions.
 

Court Observers for Criminal and Eviction Court

Several Temple Beth El members act as court observers under a program run by the Nehemiah Center for Urban Development, watching and reporting on criminal and/or eviction court hearings. Observers make their own schedules and are expected to observe about four hours each month. For more information, you can contact any of those currently involved: Betsy Abramson, Lynn Silverman, or Cari DiTullio.

Middle School Literacy and Math Tutors

The Racial Justice Action Team partners with the Urban League of Greater Madison to recruit adults as literacy or math tutors in Madison’s middle schools. Volunteers complete online trainings and then select the middle school of their choice to commit to at least one hour each week working with individual students. You can begin to explore this opportunity by completing the volunteer tutor application. To learn more about it, contact Betsy Abramson (608-332-7867), who tutored in algebra twice a week at O’Keeffe Middle School. She learned a lot of algebra herself and reports great satisfaction in helping a 7th grader catch up in this critical skill.

Setting Up Apartments for Newly Arriving Refugees

Temple Beth El works with Jewish Social Services as they help refugees from all over the world resettle in the Madison area. JSS provides case management, job help, and housing for newly arrived refugee families. TBE volunteers work to set up apartments with furniture, and food, and provide tutoring and mentoring as needed. Contact Sherie Sondel for more information.

Volunteering through Jewish Social Services 

Jewish Social Services (JSS) volunteers serve as drivers, friendly visitors, events supporters, language tutors, shoppers, mentors, apartment set-up helpers, and so much more. Read about JSS volunteer opportunities, or contact Paul Borowsky via email or call him at 608-442-4083. 

Volunteer Drivers for Immigration Appointments 

The Dane Sanctuary Coalition provide rides for immigrants to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offices in Milwaukee, Waukegan, IL, and Chicago, as well as the United States Immigration Court in Chicago. We also offer local rides to immigrants who need to meet with immigration attorneys but who live in parts of Dane County without much public transportation. Volunteer drivers only commit to a specific ride based on their availability. For the longer trips, partial compensation for mileage and parking is available. If you’re interested, there is a virtual training session about the role and responsibilities of a volunteer driver, USCIS processes, etc. Contact Dan Zimmerman via email or call him at (608) 241-1158. 

On Sunday, October 1, 96 Temple Beth El congregants and community members gathered at TBE to feast and learn at Tables Across Borders, the second in a series of multicultural community dinners highlighting the cuisines and cultures of local chefs who are refugees or seeking asylum. Tables Across Borders was initiated by Kai Gardner Mishlove, executive director of Jewish Social Services, based on a similar successful program in Milwaukee. This latest dinner was co-sponsored by TBE with help from our Immigrant and Refugee Rights Action Team and generously supported by the Cheryl Rosen Weston fund of the Jewish Federation of Madison.  

In the words of Kai Gardner Mishlove, the objectives of the Tables Across Borders dinners have been to “raise awareness and increase advocacy regarding the contributions of our refugee communities via a cultural exploration of the cuisines of local refugee chefs, to serve as an incubator for refugees interested in pursuing culinary arts and establishing food businesses, to build bridges between communities and combat antisemitism, bigotry, racism, and anti-immigrant sentiment, and to eat delicious food with new friends!”

The October 1 dinner featured chef Bahkt Mohammad, a refugee from Afghanistan who was resettled by JSS and is now being supported in his dream to open an Afghan restaurant in Madison. Prior to coming to the U.S., the chef owned and operated a wonderful restaurant in Kabul, Afghanistan, where he had quite a following due to his delicious cuisine!

We had the privilege of sampling his wonderful dishes with a menu that included chicken prepared several ways, fried fish, meatballs, a complex and savory bean dish, rice pilaf with carrots and raisins, potato samosas, an assorted fresh vegetable salad, a mixed spinach dish, custard, and sweet milk tea with spices. There was plenty of variety—even for the vegetarians among us!

TBE was excited to be a part of this wonderful celebration and, as a bonus, to have it incorporate Sukkot. Rabbi Jonathan Biatch welcomed people to the TBE sukkah and explained the meaning of the actual structure and the rituals associated with this holiday. We were also fortunate during dinner to be able to meet new JSS staff, including the refugee resettlement director, Sunday Nzitatira.  

In summary, the food was superb and people were excited to gather as a community, to see old friends and meet new people at such a joyous occasion. To learn more about chef Bhakt Mohammad’s catering business, which currently operates out of FEED Kitchens, please visit AfghanKabulCuisine.com.

Our TBE community once again gave generously to the High Holy Day Food Drive, honoring our tradition of fasting by making monetary contributions for hunger relief. This year the drive raised a total of $15,323. The Social Action Committee agreed to distribute the money as follows:

• $10,00 to Second Harvest Foodbank, maintaining our bronze level sponsorship for the NBC-15 Share Your Holidays Drive
• $500 each to Catholic Multicultural Center, Porchlight, Centro Hispano, The Road Home, and Mount Zion Baptist Church food pantry for client food needs
• $1,000 to Jewish Social Services of Madison for client food needs
• $1,000 to meet the costs of Mitzvah Day food projects 
• $823 to be allocated for needs arising later in the year

We extend our thanks to all who donated.

In November, our Religious School students and families collected hundreds of food items for the Goodman Community Center Thanksgiving Basket program, helping the center feed over 4,000 families for the holiday. Thanks to all who participated or made monetary contributions. The 3rd grade class won the competition for most items donated, with 81 cans of vegetables.

Are you new to Temple, or looking for a way to become more involved? Working on hunger relief is a great way to meet people and get to know the community. Our volunteers serve free meals at the Catholic Multicultural Center once a month and cook meals four times a year for Healing House, a respite center where homeless families can safely recuperate from illness or childbirth. We also volunteer for the Thoreau School Food Program, packing and delivering food for the families of elementary school children. If you’d like to get involved, please contact Aleeza Hoffert.

We are so grateful for the generosity of TBE Sisterhood for replacing the island in the Temple kitchen. This new stainless-steel island replaces the wood butcher-block island that had served us well through many congregational dinners, Food-A-Rama prep sessions, cooking lessons for our Religious School students, and more.

Sisterhood’s generous donation will provide us with many more years of food preparation, feeding our bodies and souls. Thank you, TBE Sisterhood!

Hanukkah is a time of rededication, when we recommit to our Jewish way of life and to upholding what is most important to us. Tikkun olam is a central principle in Judaism and a value that drives so many activities at TBE. Hanukkah offers the opportunity to rededicate ourselves to helping others. 
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) encourages us to observe the sixth night of Hanukkah as Ner Shel Tzedakah, Candle of Righteousness, by performing acts of giving and reciting a special blessing. This project invites us to donate to those less fortunate in the place of gifts that might be exchanged that night. 

This year, the sixth night is Tuesday, December 12. On this night, consider donating to TBE or to any charity that you are passionate about. May we all find light and meaning during this season. 

Temple Beth El’s Racial Justice Action Team is partnering with Nehemiah and F.O.S.T.E.R. of Dane County to prepare holiday gift boxes for children and adult clients of the agencies who might not receive any other gifts this year. Can you help? Check out the kinds of items needed below, recommended by the agencies.

Decide whether you’d like to shop for children or adults and then fill out this form to let us know what you plan to do, including whether you need us to provide a shoebox, provide wrapping, and/or even pick up the box at your house. Then head off to a Dollar Store or anywhere you’d like and purchase items that will fill a large shoebox. You should anticipate spending about $15–$20 per box.

Boxes that are not being picked up should be dropped off in the coatroom at Temple Beth El by 5:00 pm on December 12, 2023.

You are welcome to share this with friends who are not Temple members. Much appreciated!

Questions? Contact: betsyabramson@gmail.com or 608-332-7867.

Ideas for men:

• Shampoo
• Deodorant
• Razors
• Shaving cream
• Cologne
• Warms socks
• Candy or gum
• Nail file
• Winter headband
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Small laundry detergent
• Pocket tissues
• Chapstick
• Gas or grocery store gift cards

Ideas for women:

• Shampoo
• Lotions
• Deodorant
• Razors
• Warm socks
• Nail file
• Nail polish
• Lipsticks / lip gloss / chapstick
• Scarf – stylish or outerwear
• Winter headband
• Tampons
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Small laundry detergent
• Pocket Tissues
• Candy or gum
• Gas or grocery store gift cards

Ideas for kids:

• Warm socks
• Lotions
• Shampoo
• Card games
• Puzzles
• Coloring or activity book
• Crayons or markers
• Toys
• Small stuffed animal
• Candy
• Gum
• Hat
• Mittens
• Pocket tissues
• Chapstick

In early December, all TBE households will receive a membership renewal packet in the mail. Each year we ask you to designate your annual contribution through the Temple Community Contribution program. This annual contribution is crucial to funding our yearly activities, personnel compensation, and building expenses. We are grateful for the many TBE members who recognize our increasing expenses and adjust their contributions to help us meet these costs. 

You can actively renew your membership, choosing your level of giving, by returning the renewal form or managing your contribution online by December 31, 2023. If you do not submit your renewal information, your membership will automatically renew at the beginning of 2024, with a 5% increase. Please see the renewal materials you will receive in the mail for more information about how to contribute. 

If you have any questions about your membership renewal, please contact Executive Director Stefanie Kushner at 608-238-3123 or exec@tbemadison.org, or plan to join our Membership Renewal Information Session via Zoom, on December 13 at 7:00 pm.

Every contribution is truly appreciated. We thank you, and we look forward to all the possibilities ahead.

Your participation means twice as much as before! A generous member is helping us reach 100% participation in the Endowment for Spiritual Leadership with a match of $100,000 for new or additional donations made through December 31, 2023. As of September 15, over 20 households have made a donation since the match was announced, totaling over $30,000. With a match on these donations, we are $60,000 closer to our goal.

We gratefully acknowledged our generous donors in the High Holy Day program. It is exciting to see the list continue to grow. Now is the time to add your name to the list and donate to the Endowment for Spiritual Leadership to have your donation doubled. With this match, your support has more impact than ever. Please consider a donation of an amount that is comfortable for you.

You can read more and pledge or donate at the Endowment for Spiritual Leadership web page. If you have any questions about the endowment or ways to donate, please contact Executive Director Stefanie Kushner at 608-238-3123 or exec@tbemadison.org. 

On Sunday morning, February 25, 2024, Professor Jo Handelsman, director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, will be our 2024 Joel Pedersen Lecturer in Tikkun Olam and the Environment. This annual lecture is sponsored by the Torah Study Group and the Environment and Climate Change Action Team.

In preparation for her talk, on January 22, 2024, we will lead a book discussion of Dr. Handelsman’s book A World Without Soil. The book, a manifesto on environmental action published in 2021, is available at local public libraries and for purchase at bookstores and online. 
We invite you to join us on Zoom for lively conversations on the fascinating and precarious world beneath our feet.

Yale University Press describes the book as follows:

This book by celebrated biologist Jo Handelsman lays bare the complex connections among climate change, soil erosion, food and water security, and drug discovery.
 
Humans depend on soil for 95 percent of global food production, yet let it erode at unsustainable rates. In the United States, China, and India, vast tracts of farmland will be barren of topsoil within this century. The combination of intensifying erosion caused by climate change and the increasing food needs of a growing world population is creating a desperate need for solutions to this crisis.
 
Writing for a nonspecialist audience, Jo Handelsman celebrates the capacities of soil and explores the soil-related challenges of the near future. She begins by telling soil’s origin story, explains how it erodes and the subsequent repercussions worldwide, and offers solutions. She considers lessons learned from indigenous people who have sustainably farmed the same land for thousands of years, practices developed for large-scale agriculture, and proposals using technology and policy initiatives.

Save the date for this important lecture, and begin reading the book soon! Sign up for the Zoom book discussion here. 

On Thursday, October 12, join us for a tour of the Milton House Museum Underground Railroad Station near Janesville. Travel back in time by taking a tour of Wisconsin's only certified Underground Railroad site open to the public. On this guided tour, we will learn about the history of America in the tumultuous years leading up to the Civil War, the importance of the Underground Railroad in the United States, and how the Underground Railroad operated in Milton. All areas of the museum are wheelchair accessible except for a tunnel between buildings. 

After our tour, we will share a catered lunch together in the museum's private meeting room to discuss our reaction to the experience. We will arrange shared rides for the 45-minute trip to and from Milton, Wisconsin, meeting at the museum for our own guided tour of this very important part of American history. We will be gone from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The cost is $20, which covers museum admission and lunch. Please register here by October 6.

Then, on Thursday evening, November 9, we are offering a presentation on “Planning Your Own Civil Rights Trip,” with ideas for how to structure a meaningful tour of the churches, courthouses, schools, museums, and other landmarks that played a pivotal role in advancing social justice in the 1950s and 1960s, shifting the course of history. 
A few years ago we heard a presentation from four TBE members about their own trips. This year, four more TBE members who have planned and completed a civil rights trip will share their experiences and offer specific recommendations to help you plan and prepare for your own trip, following in the footsteps of Martin Luther King Jr. from Atlanta to Montgomery, Selma, Birmingham, and Memphis. 
They will recommend advance reading, identify key sites, and suggest time allotments for each, and offer a framework for learning as you deepen your knowledge of this critical component of U.S. history. The presentation will take place on November 9 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the Swarsensky Social Hall and on Zoom. Please sign up here. 

The Social Action Committee has formed a new Reproductive Rights Action Team and email list working to regain access to safe and legal abortion in Wisconsin and nationwide.

 
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in its June 2022 Dobbs decision, access to safe and legal abortion now depends on which state you live in. In Wisconsin, abortion is now illegal due to an 1848 law that was never repealed while Roe v. Wade was in effect.
 
While Jews believe all life is sacred, the Reform movement believes that the decision around abortion should be between a pregnant person and their doctor, free of government interference. The Religious Action Center of URJ summarizes its position this way:
 
The Reform movement's positions on reproductive rights are grounded in the core belief that each person should have agency and autonomy over their own bodies. Our advocacy around abortion access is inspired by the Jewish value of kavod ha’briyot, respect for individual dignity. This same sanctity underscores the vital need for medically accurate sexuality education, affordable family planning services, and high-quality maternal and women’s health care.
 
TBE members who want to help regain the right to safe, legal abortion are encouraged to join the new Reproductive Rights Action Team within the Social Action Committee, and sign up for our email list to stay informed.
 
Last spring, we brought together TBE members and UW–Madison Hillel students to hear about the new abortion landscape, and about efforts on the ground to help women get abortion care in nearby states where it remains legal. This coming year we will be planning more events, including another opportunity to collaborate with Hillel students. 
 
To help win back access to safe and legal abortion, we hope you’ll join our action team and sign up for our email list! Please contact Beth Kaplan for more information.