Temple Beth El Blog

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. 

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