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Concern for Ukrainian Refugees Leads to Community Advocacy Effort

04/28/2022 11:59:23 AM

Apr28

by Erica Serlin

Motivated by the refugee crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, the Immigrant and Refugee Rights Action Team initiated a postcard advocacy project in support of Ukrainian refugees and other immigrants. The idea for this project began as a conversation between TBE member and artist Kathy Mazur and Rabbi Renee Bauer, the director of chaplaincy and outreach for the Refugee Resettlement Program at Jewish Social Services (JSS). Kathy explained how the idea began:

I, like all of you, have been painfully watching and listening to the news regarding the war in Ukraine. Feeling deep pain and despair for the Ukrainian people, I desperately wanted to do something, anything to bring awareness and hope for the Ukrainians.
As a visual artist, all I know is to create.
One particular photograph I saw on the news grabbed me. It was a mother and daughter fleeing their home, walking down a street, framed by tall grasses, one bare tree, all steeped in vast emptiness. The little girl carried two backpacks and a bag. The mother had several bags and a purse. I thought to myself, that could be any one of us! This image became my inspiration for the painting that I titled: WE ARE UKRAINE. My hope was to create an art piece that would move people to action.

Kathy then created a beautiful and powerful artwork that we used on postcards to be sent to the responsible federal officials: President Biden, DHS Secretary Mayorkas, Senators Johnson and Baldwin, and Representative Pocan. The text, suggested by HIAS advocacy requests, urged support for the resettlement of Ukrainian refugees in the U.S., as well as a pathway to safety for Afghans and passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act. We also encouraged creating a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants and ending Title 42 and the “Remain in Mexico” policy.

The postcard project took off beyond our wildest expectations! Postcard packets have been made available to Shaarei Shamayim, Beth Israel Center, JSS, Jewish Federation of Madison (JFM), and Christian member congregations of the Dane Sanctuary Coalition, including Christ Presbyterian, First Baptist, Midvale Lutheran, Plymouth UCC, and Madison Christian Community. TBE, JSS, and JFM also provided postage assistance for this project. Postcards were also distributed to countless individuals—some of whom even carried this project to other parts of the country. Over 1,150 postcards have already been distributed.

On March 31, we gathered at Temple Beth El and on Zoom to work on our postcards and hear about the refugee situation in Ukraine, with Kathy appearing by Zoom and Rabbi Renee Bauer and Becca Schwartz speaking in person. Rabbi Bauer noted that the crisis in Ukraine has had the effect of opening people’s hearts and minds to what’s happening in the lives of refugees and immigrants worldwide. She and Becca Schwartz elaborated on the more general immigration advocacy requests included in the postcard text and reminded us that immigrants of color and those coming from Africa, Latin America, and Muslim countries face especially difficult obstacles to entering the U.S. We shared a list of strongly endorsed relief organizations currently providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine and countries resettling Ukrainian refugees, including HIAS and our own Jewish Federation of Madison.

Since the postcards were created, we were gratified to learn that President Biden has pledged to welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees to the U.S. and has sought to end the use of Title 42, a public health policy that has been used unfairly since 2020 to prevent asylum seekers from entering the U.S.

To learn more about what life is like for immigrants to the United States, the Immigrant and Refugee Rights Action Team recommends the Netflix documentary Living Undocumented, a 2019 documentary series on Netflix that follows the lives of eight undocumented immigrant families living in the United States. They come from six different countries, including one family from Israel, and have a variety of problems with their immigration status.

If you are interested in welcoming our new neighbors to Madison or have questions about what we are doing to support refugees and immigrants, please contact one of the co-chairs of our action team, Lynn Silverman or Erica Serlin. We will be happy to answer any questions.

Supporting Racial Justice by Supporting Local Children

04/28/2022 11:51:03 AM

Apr28

by Betsy Abramson

The Racial Justice Action Team has completed recruitment of employers for the 2022 summer internship program of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County. This program provides summer internships for high school and college students at places of employment of Temple Beth El members. The project was a resounding success last summer, and we are grateful that the Jewish Federation of Madison has awarded funds for the project again this summer, using funding from the Cheryl Rosen Weston fund. In addition, seven of the eleven host sites are paying for part or all of the stipend for their interns.

This summer we will have eleven host sites, all six that participated last year and five new ones. The six returning host sites (and participating TBE members) are Books4School (Fields family), Frank Beverage (Joel Frank family), Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (Joe Loehnis), LIFT Wisconsin (Marsha Mansfield), Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice (Rabbi Bonnie Margulis), and Madison Youth Arts (Michael Ross). We have added two new host sites supervised by TBE members: Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association (Aleksandr Kladnitsky) and Frank Productions Concerts (Marla and Larry Frank). We also welcome three new host sites from the greater Jewish community: Jewish Social Services (Dawn Berney, Jim Mackman, and Becca Schwartz), General Beverage Companies (Minkoff family), and Community Justice Inc. (Carousel Bayrd and Mara Bridgman).

The Urban League of Greater Madison runs a volunteer tutoring program for middle school math students called Schools of Hope. In response to a request from Urban League about the urgent need for middle school tutors, four members of Temple Beth El will begin volunteering this spring: Martye Griffith, Betsy Abramson, David Seligman, and Vic Levine. Although there has been limited time this spring for volunteers to be present in the schools, we hope that this small trial will lead to more extensive tutoring efforts next school year. If you are interested in doing this next year, please contact Betsy Abramson.

Preview of coming attractions: This fall the Racial Justice Action Team will be hosting a discussion on housing discrimination in Dane County. We will begin by discussing the famous Lorraine Hansberry play "A Raisin in the Sun." You can see it live late this summer and early fall at American Players Theater, watch it on Amazon Prime ($3.99), or read the play. Discussion date to be announced.

Learn Social Justice Leadership Skills at Leading Change: A URJ Summit

04/28/2022 11:35:46 AM

Apr28

As we work to create a world in which all people experience justice and equity, we know that we must make changes to the way our communities operate. In pursuit of these changes, the Union for Reform Judaism invites you to register for Leading Change: A URJ Summit. This is an exciting opportunity for learning, skill-building, and networking.

The Summit is focused on leadership development, with a special track emphasizing leadership in service of social justice. The conference will be virtual, making it easy to fit into your schedule and more affordable than many similar conferences. It will run for three afternoons, from Sunday, May 1, through Tuesday, May 3, from noon to 5:15 pm central time. You can join for one or all of the days.

Here are a few highlights of what you can expect:

Hear from keynote speakers related to big ideas about change.
Explore and engage with core concepts related to change, including racial equity, diversity, and inclusion; building capacity and power; and developing relationships.
Share and reflect alongside other social justice and congregational leaders to prepare for what it will take to be a change leader in your congregation or community.
Connect with leaders like you through affinity spaces, discussion groups, and interactive presentations on the topics you care about.
Learn about the Reform movement’s 2022 Civic Engagement Campaign and how you can mobilize your community into action as part of this effort.

The Leading Change Summit is for people motivated to make change in their congregation or community. All participants will hear from expert keynote speakers at general sessions, find opportunities for networking and meaningful discussion, and commit to creating more racially equitable, diverse, and inclusive communities. Programming has been specifically designed to help participants mobilize for change in their selected areas. If you see yourself as a current or emerging leader for social justice, Israel, or congregational transformation, the Summit is for you.

Registration is $180 and is open through April 30. For those interested in the social justice track, the TBE Social Action Committee has limited scholarship funds available. If financial help would make a difference in your decision to attend, please speak with Rabbi Jonathan Biatch. The URJ also has a quick and simple grant application process online here.

Social Action Shabbat: How Dane County Is Taking Action on Climate Change

04/28/2022 11:18:15 AM

Apr28

by Marta Karlov and Aleeza Hoffert

Climate action was the focus of this year’s well-attended Social Action Shabbat on April 8. We were honored to hear from Dane County Executive Joe Parisi about how climate change is impacting Dane County and what Dane County is doing to increase climate resilience and reduce countywide emissions. Dane County has been recognized as one of the top local governments in the world for its environmental transparency and action.

County Executive Parisi began by acknowledging that the challenges of climate change sometimes seem overwhelming, but his message is one of empowerment: “People should understand that there is so much we can do.” For instance, the county has been working with the University of Wisconsin–Madison to study how climate change will affect us locally so that we can plan for these changes and adapt, protecting the people who will be most vulnerable to the changes.

In addition to adaptation, prevention is possible by improving our local energy efficiency. Dane County has installed 17 solar arrays in the last six years and is now saving $2 million each year in energy costs, not to mention the fossil fuel use avoided. Once a new solar field is completed near the landfill, 100% of the county’s energy use will be from renewable sources. Changes at the landfill will reduce the amount of methane released and will save money by converting the methane to fuel, changes that will pay for themselves in a few years. Local leaders from schools and municipalities have formed a leadership group to discuss short-term and long-term goals.

The county is also considering ways to help homeowners and businesses retrofit buildings and factories to save on energy costs and pay back loans with the savings. Much of this work may be done through Operation Fresh Start, a program to help youth learn trades. You can listen to Executive Parisi’s talk here (his introduction is just after the 1:21 time mark).

Prior to Shabbat services, the TBE Environment and Climate Change Action Team hosted an Eco Fair in the Weinstein Community Court at TBE. There we learned about products and simple changes we can make in our daily lives to lead a more sustainable life and lessen our impact on the earth.

We also held a drawing to win some of these products, chosen from the people who signed up:

Prize 1, winner Marsha Mansfield: a pack of see-through mesh produce bags in three different sizes to use at the grocery store or at summer farmers’ markets. (Donated by Betsy Abramson.)
Prize 2, winners Dale Kaufman and Roxane Spitzer: two reusable grocery tote bags to replace a plastic or paper bag. These bags included one roll of Reel bamboo toilet paper, one metal straw, one Swedish dishcloth, and one package of four mesh produce bags. (Donated by Liz Whitesel; most items sourced locally from Orange Tree Imports.)
Prize 3, winner Maureen Mross: “One: Pot, Pan, Planet” cookbook by Anna Jones, with delicious vegetarian recipes and information on how to reduce food waste, eat sustainably, and save energy.

You can see read about these eco-friendly products and ideas, with shopping links, on the TBE “eco-portal” here. After the Shabbat worship, many people stayed late to study the products and enjoy the Oneg Shabbat. It was great to be back together in person and to see so many people there!

Want to do your part to help the planet? Come join the Environment and Climate Change Action Team! Contact Marta Karlov or Aleeza Hoffert, or join our monthly meeting.

Eco-Friendly Products

03/29/2022 02:47:34 PM

Mar29

Recycling Tips Presented on Tu Bishvat
Our actions matter. What we buy matters. What we send to the landfill matters. What ends up in our fresh water, our oceans, and our fish matters. What ends up in our bodies and in animals matters. Every small step we take makes a difference. Making them together makes a bigger difference. Here are some products that members of our Environment and Climate Change Action Team recommend and use.

Note: These recommendations are provided by our members solely for the convenience of others. Temple Beth El does not endorse or recommend any specific products or businesses.

A few tips when shopping for products for your home:

What’s the packaging?
Can it be reused? Recycled? Composted?
What’s it made of? Is it eco-friendly?

	RECYCLE Curbside Composter Food waste in the landfill decomposes and produces the greenhouse gas methane, which is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide, significantly impacting global warming. Curbside Composter collects your food waste once a week for $7.50.You simply place all fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, nuts, breads, cereal, coffee grounds, and small quantities of meat, bones, and cheeses into the compostable bag that lines the bucket provided. Reducing food waste is one of the most important things we can do to reverse global warming. More than 70 billion tons of greenhouse gases could be prevented from being released into the atmosphere. Wasted food that is composted can be used as a fertilizer on cropland, improving soil health and productivity, or anaerobic or methane digesters can convert the methane produced from decomposition of food waste into electricity. Curbside Composter also provides gallon bins for businesses. They can also work with you to make your event (think b’nai mitzvah or weddings) a low-waste or even zero-waste party.
	REDUCE Almond Cow Plant-Based Milk Maker Dairy-free, plant-based milk can easily be made right at home in a matter of minutes with an Almond Cow or similar product. Making your own plant-based milk at home not only helps cut down on waste from not buying aseptic containers of your milks of choice (oat, almond, cashew, coconut, etc.) but also helps cut down our dependence on milk-producing livestock, such as cows and goats, and reduces transportation impacts from moving all those cartons of milk around. Over its lifetime, an Almond Cow will eliminate the need for 2,750 lbs of CO2 to be released into our atmosphere versus a shelf milk equivalent. That’s 1,379 lbs of coal that will never need to be burned. Your Almond Cow can prevent 500+ single-use cartons from polluting our planet. When compared against the average of buying two cartons of store-bought unsweetened almond milk a week, the average user can offset the carbon emissions of the production and transportation of an Almond Cow in just 2.25 months! Check out Almond Cow’s 2021 Sustainability Report. They also provide recipes for much more, including recipes for the pulp or other drinks like cider or non-dairy coffee creamer.
	REUSE Rethink How You Use and Consume Products How we use and reuse our goods is important. A longer life for an item means no one needs to pull new materials from earth to produce it again, and it keeps items out of our landfills. The beach towel at left is a great example of this. It was actually purchased over 25 years ago as a decoration for the bat mitzvah of Aleeza Hoffert, TBE’s program coordinator, as part of a dozen or so such towel decorations. Her family was also in the market for some new towels at the time. It not only served to decorate her party but also absorbed some of the music and conversational sound. After the party, it didn’t go in the recycling or trash like many decorations might have. Instead it went into her parents’ linen closet to be used over and over again. It traveled to college with Aleeza and now is one of the towels her family continues to use in Madison. Other towels are still in use at her parents’ house and have traveled elsewhere with her siblings.
	Can you do something more sustainable or use something in multiple ways? Simple acts like using a tablecloth that is laundered for reuse instead of using new disposable ones keeps items out of our landfills. Consider using cloth napkins instead of paper ones.
	RETHINK “One: Pot, Pan, Planet” by Anna Jones This book is the second by this writer bringing us easy, creative, and delicious vegetarian recipes. The book also includes informative sections on how to reduce food waste, how to eat sustainably, and how to save energy. In addition, the sections on individual vegetables, rather than showing a recipe per page, list a number of simple ideas that you can compare before deciding what to try. According to the publisher, Anna Jones “makes cooking mouthwatering meals simpler and greener than ever before. One: Pot, Pan, Planet delivers all the goods: delectable recipes that are easy to prepare and that keep sustainability at the center of every dish. And with Jones guiding the way, the variety and depths of flavors possible using just one pot, pan, or tray are limitless: Persian Noodle Soup, Carrot & Sesame Pancakes; Crispy Butter Beans with Kale, Lemon & Parmesan; Quick Squash Lasagna; Saag Aloo Shepard’s Pie, to name just a few.”
	Browse Online and Plant Trees Use a browser that helps the environment. Set your default browser to one like Ecosia that plants trees just for doing the normal searching you do. https://info.ecosia.org/what
	Shop at Green Life Trading Co. Located on Willy St., Green Life Trading Co. is a low-waste living store that's great for all your needs! Some Temple Beth El members use their soap bars, bamboo toothbrushes, dish scrubbers, and bulk cleaning supplies. And you can feel great for shopping local too! They also offer product refills, so you can bring your reusable container and fill it up.
	REPLACE Swedish Cloths These cleaning cloths replace paper towels and sponges to wash dishes, scrub counters, wipe up spills, and clean surfaces. They are 100% compostable, zero waste. They can go in the washing machine or top rack of a dishwasher to clean. For each dishcloth sold, the company donates 1% for the planet.
	Bamboo Toilet Paper Every day, 27,000 trees are cut down to make toilet paper. Reel brand toilet paper is made from bamboo that is sourced sustainably and leaves the trees alone. Bamboo is an amazing eco-friendly product. In can grow 3 feet in just 24 hours; it is, in fact, the fastest growing plant on the planet. Bamboo can be harvested once a year, and it doesn't need to be replanted, for it grows back from its own root system in 3–4 months, thus growing 120 times faster than hard wood. Producing bamboo toilet paper uses 30% less water than making it from hard wood trees. An acre of bamboo gives out 35% more oxygen than hard woods. In other words, an acre of bamboo can fix about 25 metric tons of atmospheric CO2 per year. Bamboo fibers make a softer paper than many recycled papers and have a high tensile strength. Reel toilet paper is biodegradable and contains no inks, dyes, or BPA. Its packaging is plastic free and biodegradable as well. Also, the company provides access to clean toilets around the world, thus protecting water, removing waste from communities and helping prevent the spread of waterborne diseases. Photo: Mara Seligman Crespo and Lielle Seligman Crespo with Who Gives a Crap bamboo toilet paper
	Sun Leaf Bar Shampoo and Conditioner These products are made with organic biodegradable ingredients and no preservatives, synthetic fragrances, petrochemicals, or plastic bottles. Simply apply to wet hair, lather, and rinse. Sun Leaf company donates 5% of profits to protecting fresh water.
	Household Cleaning and Laundry Products Making small swaps for life’s everyday tasks can have a big impact. Laundry waste is a huge problem. Over 700 million plastic jugs end up in landfills and oceans each year. “Plastic Island” in the Pacific Ocean is over 1 million square kilometers. Only 8.4% of plastic actually gets recycled, so even when we recycle, hardly any of it is reused. It is time to make a change. Small changes lead to a big impact. Consider the packaging of your projects and opt for more sustainable choices, such as those from Meliora. Rub a wet sponge on Meliora’s dish soap bar and use it to wash dishes. No more plastic bottles. By using Dropps you are turning the tide against toxic pollution and plastic waste. Dropps makes dishwasher detergent and laundry detergents that are dye free, phthalate free, and phosphate free. The water-soluble dissolvable pods are plastic free—so no micro plastics are put into the water. Their compostable packaging keeps plastic out of the landfill; they claim to have kept 3,500,000 plastic containers from being created. And all of their shipments are 100% carbon neutral.
	Earth Breeze and Tru Earth Eco Strips are two additional zero waste laundry products that keep plastic jugs out of landfills and oceans. Strips or sheets of liquidless detergent are simply tossed into the washing machine. The sheets are packaged in a plastic-free compostable cardboard sleeve that doubles as a shipping envelope, further cutting back on waste. The products do not contain dyes, phosphates, or parabens and are biodegradable. The companies participate in ocean cleanups, planting trees and donating their products to those in need.

	Dryer Balls Wool dryer balls are sustainably designed, reducing drying time, thus reducing energy consumption. They last for hundreds of loads and mechanically soften your clothes. They are 100% biodegradable. You can even use your favorite essential oil on them. Conventional dryer sheets are a single-use product, contain a thin layer of fabric softener, and may contain harsh chemicals and added fragrances that adhere to fabrics, vent into the air, and rub off onto your skin. Cosy House Wool Dryer Balls
	Reusable To-Go Utensils These bamboo utensils are great to take on a picnic or to eat on the go. Bring your utensils to minimize the need for plastic or even compostable flatware, keeping more items out of our landfill. Wash and reuse them, and bring them again next time. If you don’t want bamboo, try a portable metal set.
	Planet Box Consider a stainless steel Planet Box for your kid and yourself. Cut down on the number of plastic lunch boxes or containers and use this metal one that comes with compartments and a few metal and silicone containers for sauces or soups. You can give it a new look each school year with new magnets or use the same ones. You won’t need another lunch box. The Rover is great for kids in preschool and elementary school. For adults and kids with bigger appetites, the Launch is great.
	V-dog Plant-Based Dog Food and Treats Switching to a vegan diet can make a world of difference. When you choose not to consume meat, eggs, and dairy, you are preventing animal suffering and greatly reducing the depletion of natural resources. This is true for humans and our pets. Plant-powered pooches save the planet! A vegan dog, like a vegan human, leaves behind a much smaller environmental "paw print." Consider vegan food and treats such as those from V-dog, a California-based company. Due to the carbon dioxide and methane emissions associated with raising, processing, transporting, and storing animal products, animal agriculture is a massive contributor to climate change, not to mention deforestation, pollution, water consumption, and biodiversity loss.
	Last Tissue Six 100% organic cotton washable, reusable tissues come in a silicone case that is dishwasher safe. The package is an amazing feat of engineering: Pull a new clean tissue from the slot at the bottom. Tuck a used tissue on the top, where it is separated from the clean ones. Keep trees from being cut down, reduce global warming gases emitted by the paper industry, and save water.
	Reusable Straws Metal straws are reusable, durable, nontoxic, and recyclable. Keep single-use plastics out of the landfills and ocean and away from marine life. According to Sir David Attenborough, author of “Life on Earth,” by 2050 there will be more plastics in the ocean than fish, and it can take over 200 years for a plastic straw to break down. Worldofbamboo.org Fabiola Hamdan’s son Nabil was featured on the Today Show as a young entrepreneur. He makes environmentally-friendly bamboo products like straws, toothbrushes, soap dishes, and chopsticks. Use his products and help reduce the use of plastics! Help support this young businessman and protect the environment at the same time. Silicone straws are also great for kids who like to chew on their straw (bamboo might crack if chewed on).
	Mesh Bags Replace grocery-store plastic produce bags with reusable bags. The mesh bags can also be used to store produce in the refrigerator.

Original Poetry by Kesher Israel Committee Members

03/29/2022 12:12:27 PM

Mar29

Members of our Kesher Israel Committee shared these beautiful poems at our Kesher Shabbat last October.

Noah Looked Up
by Ellen Meyer

Noah looked up
from the ark he just built
God’s good sun
could still write covenants
in the sunset.

There was still no deluge.
The captured beasts
were waiting
for the storm.

They stomped and brayed, buzzed or bellowed.
Birds strutted
their vain plumage in iridescent rituals

and the wicked down below
shook off their clothes
and called for Noah, the pious fool
to dance with them.

Noah asked his Creator
where is the flood?
Why is the earth still
parched and dry
as the worried moon?

But in the morning
the clouds did come
carried in God’s arms,
thick as burnt offerings.
Nostrils sniffed rain, sweet and terrifying.

Floating fathoms above
the drowned and drowning
Noah asked his wife
Why the children?

Noah and his Ark
by Laurel Hefty

Noah and his Ark rebuild a broken world
Utnapishtim opens a vent to find sunlight after a flood and releases a dove
The Shujing’s Emperor Yao faces a flood that reaches the heavens
Manu, warned by an incarnation of Vishnu, builds his ark
The spider protecting people when Sotuknang flooded the earth

They listen, prepare and
Take a leap of faith
They rise above the chaos
To create a better world

A universal concept to remake the world
A chance to wash away the sins
Against ourselves, those we know, strangers
Against the very earth we stand upon

Find the sunlight and release the dove.
Shielded by wood and spider silk we support each other
And take a leap of faith to rebuild a broken world

A Year of Accomplishment

03/29/2022 12:09:46 PM

Mar29

By the Kesher Israel Committee

The Kesher Israel Committee has been very busy these past 12 months offering engaging opportunities that encourage Temple Beth El members and the wider Madison Jewish community to participate in discussions and opportunities to learn about Israel. We have focused on the diversity and innovation of the tiny nation, along with its challenges and achievements, ensuring that we all see our Jewish homeland in a positive light.

We did this through several avenues this past year. The Kesher Israel Committee led a Shabbat service last October. The committee chose to focus on beginnings and connections to Israel with artwork, selected writings, and music by Israeli composers and poets, along with original poetry by members of the Kesher Israel Committee. Kesher members led the service with Rabbi Jonathan Biatch’s guidance, and Cantor Jacob Niemi offered music by Israeli composers Mordechai Chalfon, Idan Raichel, and others. The service ended with Israel’s nation anthem, “Hatikvah.” “Hatikvah” means “the hope” and represents the hope for a better future in order to survive today.

How do you get to explore the richness and complexity of Israel without having to go there? It's easy! Just watch the films presented once a month by the Kesher Israel Committee. A short, lively discussion usually follows the film. The Israeli films we watched this year, as always, cover the whole range of traditional genres from comedy and documentary to adventure and drama. They frequently raise and address controversial issues of identity and moral choice. Join us for moving and thought-provoking explorations of Israeli culture!

We also hosted two special editions of Kesher Café. We welcomed Rabbi Jonathan Biatch to share his experience on his most recent trip to Israel. In his “Tale of Two Narratives,” Rabbi Biatch unveiled the pain of two separate peoples, Israelis and Palestinians, both in search of security and validation. Rabbi Biatch met with Israelis who spoke of the constant need for vigilance as they watched the sky for signs of bombs, hastened to bomb shelters, searched the fence for underground tunnels, and fought fires ignited by flaming kites. He spoke with Palestinians who explained the unequal distribution of water, of settlers encroaching on their land, of hours at checkpoints.

Rabbi Biatch shared the different use of symbols between the two groups. He cited language as an example. When speaking of the same situation, Israelis call the day Israel became a state Yom Ha’atzmaut, “Independence Day,” while Palestinians call it the “Nakba,” day of mourning. Another frequently seen symbol was visual art. The Israeli flag can be seen flying proudly above the Knesset; the Palestinian flag is displayed at other sites. With Combatants for Peace, Rabbi Biatch learned of groups of people on both sides of the divide who believe enough lives have been lost and enough injustices have been done. They look for ways to end hostilities by coming together through interactive projects, such as group discussions and youth camps.

Finally, Rabbi Biatch shared that while he hoped and prayed for peace, he believed there was still much work to be done.

Earth Month Event Roundup

03/21/2022 08:35:01 AM

Mar21

by the TBE Environment and Climate Change and Action Team

Earth Day 2022 is fast approaching. Every year, on April 22, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. It started as an idea from Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, who wanted to engage students in actions to protect the environment similar to those of the antiwar movement. He and others selected April 22 because it was a weekday that fell between spring break and final exams, to maximize student participation. You can learn more about the history of Earth Day at earthday.org.

This year in April you can engage with Earth Day activities ranging from personal reflection to direct action. Below are some ideas for you to consider:

All month: 18 Jewish Quotes, Blessings and Readings

April 5: UW program “Change Is Rough: The Impacts of Changing Sea Ice on Arctic Winds”

April 7 and April 14: Master Recycler Class by Sustain Dane, City of Madison, and the Carton Council

April 16, 23, and 30: Buy local at the Dane County Farmers’ Market on the Square

April 18-24: VegWeek

April 19: UW Global Health Symposium, “Making Connections: Health, Climate & Equity”

April 21: Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies “Earth Day 2022: Water on the Rise”

April 22–30: Wild Earth Allies Virtual Races

April 23: City of Madison Earth Day Challenge Project to assist in cleaning local parks

For questions about the TBE Environment and Climate Change Action Team or to join our team, reach out to Marta Karlov (mokarlov2@gmail.com).

The Story of the Beit Olamim Cemetery Garden

03/08/2022 11:56:04 AM

Mar8

Kathy Mazur

It all began in March of 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, when my husband Tim and I were in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, ordering food to go from our favorite Syrian restaurant. We decided to take a shortcut back to our car, and there we stumbled upon a Prayer Garden. I stopped and sat down in this tiny, beautiful garden and said a prayer for our nation that we would soon discover a vaccine. I looked around at its beauty and turned to my husband and said, “I want to build a garden for the Madison Jewish community.” You see, this gift had been long on my mind, as I had just survived breast cancer and wanted to give back for my blessings of recovered health. I learned an important lesson during my year with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation: that nature is a powerful healer.

In my next step, I contacted my good friend Eve Siegel, who then referred me to Jim Stein, and together we began discussing possible locations for the garden.

From there I found two fantastic landscape architects, Steven Swenson and Samantha Roffe, who are both from the Bruce Company. Steven is an expert with hardscaping, and Samantha has great knowledge of plants and design. We spent many, many months creating different designs until we finally arrived at what you see in the Beit Olamim cemetery today.

There were aspects of the garden that were very important to me, such as beautiful natural granite seating, curved bluestone pathways, and plants and trees that would attract birds and butterflies. It was also clear that we should select as much native vegetation as possible. I love birds, and so at the center of this garden is an Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry tree that attracts a multitude of bird species. In the spring it will bloom with beautiful white flowers, in the summer we will see glossy green leaves with luscious berries, and it will be covered with brilliant orange and red leaves in the fall. We also have a Star Magnolia and a Royal Raindrops crabapple tree to highlight the spring. Plants, bushes, and dry riverbeds made of pond rock add color and texture throughout the seasons. Instead of mulch, we selected sedum sod beds to provide contrast and texture, attract butterflies, and showcase brilliant hues of yellow, red, and various greens. And finally, we included a stunning, handcrafted round arbor that is the window to the garden.

Tim and I hope this space brings peace and wholeness to the community.

The Cost of Temple Security

03/08/2022 10:12:08 AM

Mar8

With the safety and security of our community on everyone’s mind, it’s important to understand how Temple Beth El pays for this essential part of communal life. These aspects of our security plan require funding.

Physical changes to our building that make us more secure, including video cameras, door access panels to restrict who can enter, and an all-building paging system. We are fortunate to have many generous donors who understand the priority we need to give to security and have provided the funding for these items.
Madison Police Department presence at our community events. The $100 security fee (connected to the annual membership contribution) is used to offset this expense.

We are grateful to have been awarded a Nonprofit Security Grant from Wisconsin Emergency Management and FEMA. This grant funding will be used to reinforce areas of our building. We are working with the Secure Community Network to identify other areas of our building that would benefit from possible future grant money. The TBE security task force continues to meet to update our physical security as well as plan for our training needs.

Donations Honor Member Milestones

03/07/2022 03:40:52 PM

Mar7

The February 25 reception celebrating TBE members—new, longtime, and in between—was a special way to recognize the longevity and strength of our community. This event was also our opportunity to introduce our publication “Member Milestones at Temple Beth El,” which is a collection of the Member Milestone stories that we’ve shared through emails over the past three months, along with additional profiles and historical content. Find a PDF of the publication on our Members Only page. (You must be logged in to view this page.)

The donations we received in honor of our Milestone Members reflect the impact of this project on members, friends, and family from near and far. The messages that accompanied the donations remarked on the feelings of pride and connection that the Member Milestones project fostered. Donors were moved to contribute after reading stories on Facebook and in the emails and blog posts. These contributions help to ensure that we will continue to reach more TBE milestones for years to come.

Thank you for donating in honor of this meaningful occasion.

Understanding the TBE Budget Process

03/07/2022 03:34:09 PM

Mar7

As we start to prepare our 2023 budget, we are able to project the income we will receive from the 2022 membership contributions through annual renewals. Our renewals are based on a calendar year, but our fiscal year runs from July to June. Yes, it’s confusing! But this explains why we start our budget process in February.

The first of many steps, beginning in February, is gathering input from committees. The budgeting for programming by our committees accounts for about 20% of our budget. The larger portion of our budget is accounted for by personnel and building costs.

TBE staff work with their committees to determine programming for the next fiscal year and how much to allocate to these programs, accounting for revenue and expenses. The deadline to complete these committee-driven budget worksheets is in March. During the next phase, the executive director and staff work together to analyze and finalize numbers to be entered into the budget. Together they go through the worksheets to see how they compare to the previous year and whether anything new for the upcoming year requires a change to the budget. Once the staff worksheets have been finalized and entered into the master budget, this information is brought to the Budget Committee (made up of the Executive Committee and Finance Committee) for approval. This is typically done in April. If adjustments are recommended, they are brought back to the staff member responsible for that area.

After the Budget Committee approves the budget, it is brought to the Board of Trustees for approval. Discussions might include looking at variances from the previous year, such as budgeting for new programs or offerings. The goal is to pass the budget during the May or June board meeting.

To get an up-close, hands-on look at the budget process, join a committee! Input from committees is a crucial aspect of the budget process, and joining a committee is a great way to be involved in TBE. If you want more information about joining one of our committees, please contact Kendra Sager.

Celebrating our Member Milestones: Six more stories, plus a fun quiz!

03/03/2022 10:01:01 AM

Mar3

Member Milestones is an initiative at Temple Beth El to spotlight our longtime members, who have provided a strong foundation for our community.

Meet Six More Longtime Members, and Take the Quiz!

Last Friday, we gathered for our Membership Shabbat Reception to welcome new Temple Beth El members and to celebrate our Milestone Members, those who have been a part of TBE for many years. You can view the Membership Shabbat Reception and our Shabbat worship on YouTube here.

Over the past several months, we have shared the memories of our Milestone Members through emails and social media. Rich with Temple history, these stories reflect joy, sorrow, and humor, giving us a glimpse into the lives of the inspirational individuals and families who helped lay a strong foundation for our community.

Today, as we close the email series, we invite you to read the stories of six more Milestone Members:

Freda and Jim Blair, who share their connection to the founding of the State of Israel and convey the comfort they received from Rabbi Kenneth Roseman and the congregation after their son’s sudden death.

Shelly Dutch, whose Temple connection started with her mother, Sandy Dutch, and continued through teaching in our Religious School and serving desserts at Food-A-Rama.

Howard Goldberg, who remembers traveling all over town for Religious School and Temple functions and recalls the momentous occasion when the Arbor Drive building was completed (especially because he was tasked with recording the dedication ceremony).

Robert (Bob) Pasch, whose memories encompass his experiences during his TBE presidency, including his son’s bar mitzvah and the hiring of Rabbi Jan Brahms, as well as basketball games with fellow Temple members in the social hall.

Karen and Harry Roth, who share details about the Tree of Life sculpture and the Holocaust memorial at TBE. Plus, the story of how Rabbi Manfred Swarsensky met his wife, Ida.

Judy Schreiber, who loved the young couples group at Temple that helped her adjust to life in Madison and is especially proud to have helped bring longtime educator Larry Kohn to Temple and to have played a role in establishing many Jewish events and institutions in Madison.

Find the previous Member Milestone stories online here. A PDF of the Member Milestones book, containing these stories and more, can also be found on our Members Only page.

To receive a printed copy of the book, please email Aleeza Hoffert or call the Temple office.

Just for fun (no prizes!) test your memory and celebrate our Milestone Members by taking this quiz. If you need help finding the answers, feel free to review the stories in the book or at the links above.

TAKE THE QUIZ

We look forward to your continued involvement with all that TBE offers, and we are excited to share many milestones to come. May we continue to go from strength to strength!

Click the Donate button below to make a donation in honor of our Milestone Members. Select Member Milestone Honors for the donation type.

DONATE

Temple Beth El
2702 Arbor Drive
Madison, WI 53711

Volunteer Opportunities

03/02/2022 11:23:15 AM

Mar2

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

Healing House Meals Needed Week of March 6-12

Healing House provides medical respite care to patients experiencing homelessness who are too sick to be on the streets or in a traditional shelter. The program is run by Just Dane, with case management provided by The Road Home. TBE volunteers cook meals for the residents and staff on a quarterly basis. Volunteers are asked to assist by cooking and dropping off meals at 5:00 pm each day at Healing House, 303 Lathrop St., Madison, WI 53726.

Our team has signed up to provide meals the week of March 6–12, 2022. Volunteers are not currently being allowed in the house, so we will not be serving, visiting, or cleaning up. We are asking for two volunteers for each night to cook a meal for up to eight people. Menu items (not specific recipes) will be assigned to you by Linda Berman, our dinner coordinator, the week before. The sign-up link is below. Please contact Cathy Rotter with any questions.

To help with this mitzvah, please sign up here.

Serving Meals at the Catholic Multicultural Center

One of TBE’s many initiatives to feed those in need is done in partnership with Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC). The CMC provides free meals every day to approximately 80 south side community members and people experiencing homelessness. Since 2019 TBE members have been assisting in this effort by providing volunteer services before the pandemic, and by cooking thousands of meals during the pandemic. During this time, at least 32 Temple cooks have stepped forward and cooked more than 3,300 meals for hungry neighbors. We are so grateful for all that they have done!

Until the CMC is able to return to in-person service, TBE will continue to cook meals every other Wednesday for the CMC to hand out. Cooks prepare a hot dish for 20, using a provided recipe, and a TBE member collects the dishes and delivers them to the CMC. If you would like to participate in this effort, please join us by using the sign-up link below! Please contact Sue Levy, for the recipes or if you have questions.

Thoreau Food Home Deliveries

In May, Temple Beth El volunteers will be delivering food to families whose children attend Thoreau or Lincoln Elementary Schools. Volunteer drivers will meet at 8:30 am at Westminster Church, 4100 Nakoma Rd., to receive the food and delivery routes. We expect each route to take about 1 hour to deliver. Our delivery dates are Friday, May 13 and Friday, May 27.

Each car should be able to hold up to 16 boxes in the trunk and back seat, so an SUV is helpful but not necessary. You can sign up as a single driver, but it is helpful to bring a friend to help with navigation and schlepping. If you can help us deliver food, please tell us what day or days you can come, using the sign-up link below. If two people are signing up using a single car, just enter one driver's name and enter a quantity of two when the second screen appears. If you have any questions, please contact Vic Levy at 608-273-4527.

Help Seniors, Immigrants and Refugees through Jewish Social Services
As more of us are vaccinated and there are expanded ways to safely interact, requests for volunteers are coming in quickly. Jewish Social Services of Madison (JSS) is looking for volunteers to help with Shabbat services for seniors, in-person events beginning this summer, friendly visitors, shopping partners, and other tasks. If you enjoy working with seniors, please contact JSS volunteer coordinator Paul Borowsky via email or call 608-442-4083.

JSS is also receiving more refugee families for resettlement, and there are a number of ways you can help:

•   Join the TBE Immigrant and Refugee Rights Action Team to get involved with setting up apartments for arriving refugees. If you are interested in volunteering or have questions about what we are doing to support refugees and immigrants, please contact one of the co-chairs of our Immigrant and Refugee Rights Action Team, Lynn Silverman or Erica Serlin.
•   JSS has a van that can be used for larger families. If you are comfortable picking up and driving the van or have a larger vehicle yourself, we are always looking to have a good size pool of drivers. Contact Paul Borowsky via email or call 608-442-4083.
•   Volunteers are needed to help newcomers learn to ride the bus. Newcomers are very much dependent on public transportation when they first arrive, to go to appointments and get to work. If you’re willing to ride the bus and know how to use the maps function on your smartphone, you will be able to help us teach our new neighbors how to navigate their new home. Contact Becca Schwartz via email or call 608-960-7883.
•   You can help adult learners develop English language and literacy skills. Thanks to the Jewish Federation of Madison through the Cheryl Rosen Weston Fund, Jewish Social Services is partnering with the Literacy Network to offer English as a Second Language, GED preparation, and general literacy skills. Check for further descriptions, specific training dates, applications, and other details on the Literacy Network website.

New volunteer opportunities are posted here.

Thoreau Food Program

03/02/2022 11:10:55 AM

Mar2

by Sue Levy

Temple Beth El members had a fun time last fall delivering food to families whose children attend Thoreau or Lincoln Elementary Schools. You have a chance to join us this spring when Temple Beth El will provide the volunteers for the month of May.

Vic and Sue Levy will join other TBE volunteer drivers at 8:30 am on Friday, May 13 and Friday, May 27. Each of the 50–70 families enrolled in the program will have two dry-goods boxes (each 10 to 15 lbs.) delivered to their homes every other Friday. Five or six volunteer drivers will gather at Westminster Church, 4100 Nakoma Rd., to receive the food and information on their prearranged delivery routes. We expect each route to take about one hour to deliver.

We are very thankful to have a group that cares about the Temple Beth El neighborhood and school to join us with this effort. Each car should be able to hold up to 16 boxes in the trunk and back seat, so an SUV is helpful but not necessary. You can sign up as a single driver, but it is helpful to bring a friend to help with navigation and schlepping.

If you can help us deliver food, please tell us what day or days you can come, using the sign-up link below. If two people are signing up using a single car, enter just one driver's name and enter a quantity of two when the second screen appears. If you have any questions, please contact Vic Levy at 608-273-4527.

"Living Undocumented" Film and Discussion

03/02/2022 10:59:20 AM

Mar2

"Living Undocumented" is a 2019 documentary series on Netflix that follows the lives of eight undocumented immigrant families living in the United States. They come from six different countries, including one family from Israel, and have a variety of problems with their immigration status. The families participated at their own risk in the hopes that sharing their personal stories would move people to create change. In addition to the absorbing family stories, the documentary provides background information on the policies that have shaped the immigration experience.

As a story in New York magazine notes, “Living Undocumented goes inside the experience of life as an undocumented immigrant in the United States with unprecedented intimacy.” The series created so much interest that an internet search for “Living Undocumented” turns up a number of follow-up stories responding to viewer questions about “where are they now?”

Please join us for discussions jointly sponsored by the TBE Immigrant and Refugee Rights Action Team and the Dane Sanctuary Coalition. The first Zoom discussion will be on Tuesday, March 22, 7:00–8:30 pm and will cover episodes 1–3. The second will cover episodes 4–6 and will be held on Sunday, April 3, 3:00–4:30 pm. We hope people will choose to watch the whole excellent series, but we would certainly like participants to view at least one of the first three episodes and one of the last three. Register now for either or both discussions. If you’d like to participate but do not have access to Netflix, please contact Lynn Silverman or Erica Serlin.

Absentee Voting Update

03/02/2022 10:49:26 AM

Mar2

The spring election will be held on April 5, 2022. Local offices to be elected may include school board, city council, county supervisors, mayor, and more. State judicial offices include Court of Appeals judge in District IV, including Madison and surrounding counties, and Circuit Court judges in a number of counties, including Dane, Iowa, and Sauk. You can find information about your local ballot at MyVote Wisconsin.

Registered voters may request absentee ballots at MyVote Wisconsin. Any voter may request absentee ballots for the year. Voters who need to vote absentee due to disability, age, illness, or infirmity are allowed to certify that they are an indefinitely confined voter on their absentee ballot request. These voters will have ballots mailed to them for each election until they don’t return a ballot.

In the fast-moving current of election law changes, there are often new developments. In January the Wisconsin Supreme Court determined that drop boxes could be used to return absentee ballots for the spring primary election on February 15th, and voters could continue the practice of asking a person of their choice to mail or return their completed absentee ballot. However, the court is considering an expedited appeal of the case to determine the legality of drop boxes for future Wisconsin elections, including April 5.

***UPDATE (as of March 3) FOR APRIL 5 SPRING ELECTION***
Due to new rules, plan to return your absentee ballot by mail or by delivering it to your clerk's office rather than a drop box. Additionally, if possible, voters should plan on returning their own absentee ballot. Voters with disabilities may ask for accommodations to return their ballot. If you have questions about these changes, contact your municipal clerk.

Volunteer election observers needed: The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin is recruiting volunteers from across the state to serve as election observers during the April 5 election. Volunteer election observers help ensure we have a fair election by watching for signs of voter disenfranchisement and intimidation and by monitoring the way Wisconsin’s election laws and procedures are being applied. Even if you only have a couple of hours on Election Day, you can still make a difference. You don't need to be a League member to volunteer as an observer. To learn more and sign up, see the League of Women Voters website here.

Black women and the right to vote: For an interesting look at the role of Black women in the movement for women’s suffrage, check out the video “Black Women and the Right to Vote: The History You Didn't Learn,” by TIME Magazine. The History You Didn't Learn is a series that sheds light on past events that may have been omitted, misleading, or just downright wrong in our history education in school. This nine-minute episode looks at the work of Black voting rights activists throughout history and how they were often sidelined by the mainstream suffrage movement.

Schools Are Once Again Looking for Volunteers

03/02/2022 10:29:09 AM

Mar2

Over the last two years, most public schools have had strict protocols for visiting school buildings, and volunteer opportunities have been severely constrained. Many children have lost ground during this period, both academically and socially. Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) notes a strong need for classroom volunteers, tutors, playground monitors, and others to help students move forward.

MMSD states on its web page about volunteering: “MMSD has been diligently following safety protocols, and finding ways to keep students learning in-person. However, with COVID-19 cases surging in Dane County, and staffing levels approaching critical thresholds, we have reached a crucial juncture. We need your help! In order for us to continue operating our schools safely and keep students learning in-person, we must address unprecedented staff shortages. Therefore, we are asking for your assistance in doing what is best for our scholars and community: volunteer or apply for one of our temporary positions.”

If you are interested in working with students at the middle school level, the Urban League of Greater Madison runs a volunteer tutoring program for middle school students called Schools of Hope. Tutors focus on math and literacy, typically by listening to lessons in the classroom and then assisting students individually or in pairs. The minimum commitment is one hour per week during the school day, although volunteers may be absent a few times a semester if needed for vacation or other commitments. Urban League provides an initial orientation on site, and each of the schools has someone on site who can support and problem-solve with the volunteers. For more information, see the Urban League website or contact Betsy Abramson.

If you are interested in working with students in elementary school, MMSD has a well-run program for matching volunteers with students and providing the needed training. A number of volunteers from Jewish Congregations for Social Justice have worked with Emerson School on the near east side to provide math and literacy tutoring, and several are excited to go back now that they can. If you’re interested in working at Emerson, please contact Emily Powers, instructional coach. If you would rather work at the elementary school nearest you, just about any school will welcome your help!

For more information about volunteering in the Madison public schools and the kinds of work available, see this link. Although MMSD requires a background check, proof of vaccination, and several training modules, the process is quite streamlined. If you live outside Madison, check with your local district.

New Leadership for The Road Home

03/02/2022 09:37:07 AM

Mar2

by Cathy Rotter

Temple Beth El has been working with The Road Home Dane County for over 20 years, as they provide opportunities for homeless children and their families to achieve self-determined goals and affordable, stable housing. This January, the Road Home welcomed a new executive director, Georgia Allen. Ms. Allen has many connections to organizations in Dane County, including past work with the United Way and Soaring Independent Cooperative. She also has experience working on nonprofit boards. Read more about her and her personal mission “to inspire, engage, and equip individuals, businesses and organizations in achieving their highest potential to contribute to a better future for all.”

The Road Home began in 1999 as the Interfaith Hospitality Network, under the direction of then–Temple Beth El member Rachel Krinsky. As part of a network of overflow shelters for families experiencing homelessness, Temple Beth El welcomed families for four weeks out of every year. In 2018 The Road Home ended the shelter program and turned its focus to supplying permanent housing. The Road Home has continued to grow over the past 10 years under the direction of Executive Director Kristin Rucinski, and is now an organization with 23 staff members and 10 different housing programs, serving over 200 families a year. You can read about The Road Home’s housing programs here. The Temple Beth El community thanks Ms. Rucinski for her amazing leadership, compassion, and steadfast work toward The Road Home’s vision that “Every Child Deserves a Home.”

Healing House service opportunity: The Road Home also collaborates with Just Dane (formerly Madison Urban Ministry) by providing case management services for the Healing House, whose mission is to serve families experiencing homelessness who are in need of housing after an acute medical procedure or event. Temple Beth El members, along with members from other local congregations and businesses, provide meals every night for the families staying at the Healing House.

Our next week for cooking will be March 6–12. If you are interested in joining our group of cooks, please sign up here.

Sisterhood Shabbat Focuses on Refugee Resettlement

03/01/2022 04:43:45 PM

Mar1

At our Sisterhood Shabbat on February 11, guest speaker Becca Schwartz, resettlement director at Jewish Social Services of Madison (JSS), spoke on “Refugee Resettlement, Afghan Evacuation, and Beyond.”

Becca Schwartz painted a compelling picture of the struggles faced by the number of refugees who have arrived in the United States in a very short period of time and how JSS’s resettlement efforts have supported their attempts to gain asylum and a more stable life. She described how passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act can help these refugees gain a more permanent status in the United States. You can view the service and her remarks here. Her remarks begin around 57:45.

Refugee service opportunity: Since July 2021, JSS has resettled 82 children and adults from Afghanistan. Many volunteers from TBE have worked with Open Doors for Refugees to help in this resettlement process. TBE volunteers have participated in the setup of 17 households for these families, shopped for food for their first two weeks in Madison, and helped to provide them with culturally appropriate clothes and warm winter wear. We also helped families arriving from other places such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Syria.

Want to help with refugee resettlement? JSS is expecting many more refugees from all over the world in the months to come. If you are interested in welcoming our new neighbors to Madison or have questions about what we are doing to support refugees and immigrants, please contact one of the co-chairs of our Immigrant and Refugee Rights Action Team, Lynn Silverman or Erica Serlin. We will be happy to answer any questions you have.

Join Becca Schwartz and JSS in showing our support for millions of refugees through getting involved in the many ways in which our Temple is engaged in making refugees and immigrants welcome in our community. In particular, help with Community Action for Refugee Arrival (CARA) is a great way to contribute.

Uniting to Combat Climate Change through Dayenu Circle

03/01/2022 04:36:42 PM

Mar1

We have all been learning with alarm about the growing occurrence of climate-related disasters affecting millions of people around the world. Since 1981 the earth’s temperature has been rising at twice the rate than it did from 1880 to 1981. And it is now clear that our fossil-dependent economies are largely to blame.

Our Jewish values such as l’dor v’dor (generation to generation), shomrei adamah (protecting the earth), and tzedek tirdof (pursue justice) compel us to add our voices to the fight to address the climate crisis.

Dayenu is a national organization established to help us live these values, by building grassroots groups across the country that come together to advocate for change. We are in the process of building the Madison Dayenu Circle by creating a positive movement that is radical, smart, bold, and multigenerational. The goals of Dayenu are to:

Fight for climate-positive policies.
Have a Jewish voice that is heard by many.
Pay special attention to the effect of the climate crisis on historically marginalized communities.

The Madison Dayenu Circle invites you to form part of our local community. What this means is that you will occasionally receive emails prompting you to act in support of a specific action, if you choose. Click here to sign up for updates from Madison Dayenu Circle, or join us at one of our upcoming meetings or events. If you have any questions, please contact Marta Karlov.

Tu Bishvat Seder Celebrates Respect for Our Natural Environment

03/01/2022 03:53:11 PM

Mar1

by Sherie Sondel and Aleeza Hoffert

Tu Bishvat celebrates the birthday of the trees and represents the importance of preserving our environment and respecting nature. Tu Bishvat became a favorite holiday with the Kabbalists, celebrated during a formal seder that includes the fruits of the vines and the trees. This year, the rabbi and cantor led us in a beautiful and meaningful seder in honor of this important holiday, including two breakout sessions.
At one of the breakout sessions, organized by the Kesher Israel Committee in partnership with the Environment and Climate Change Action Team (ECCAT), we were fortunate to have Rabbi Michael Cohen, in Israel, present to us by Zoom about the Israeli approach to environmental issues. He noted, “Mitigating climate change, the promotion of renewables, addressing food and water scarcity, strengthening women’s rights, working towards less violent conflict worldwide including a just settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict, are challenges we face. They call for leadership, activists, and activism. At face value they may appear separate, but on another level they are interrelated.”
For 20 years, these issues have been addressed at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, a kibbutz in the southern Israeli Arava desert valley along the Israeli-Jordanian border. Rabbi Cohen said, “The institute is dedicated to preparing future leaders from Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and around the world, to cooperatively solve the regional and global challenges of our time by advancing cross-border environmental discourse and cooperation, regardless of political conflict.” For a great overview of the information he discussed, see this article. He also shared this article as well as this additional article in advance of his presentation.
At the other breakout session, also organized by the ECCAT, we turned to something we can do locally, through a quick and informative recycling crash course. The Jewish value of bal taschit tells us "don't destroy needlessly." Recycling reduces the need to draw further resources from the earth and gives new life to products we no longer need or want, keeping them out of landfills, where they would become excess greenhouse gases that lead to global warming and climate change.
Recycling is a community effort that’s most effective when everyone does their part. In 1990 Wisconsin passed a recycling law that bans certain recyclable and compostable items from the landfill. So, in Wisconsin we recycle not just because it’s a mitzvah to not harm the earth, but because it’s the law too.
In Madison, about 12.8% of what goes into recycling bins is actually trash, which is equivalent to placing over 2,000 tons of trash in the recyclables each year. Similarly, about 13% of material in the Dane County landfill could be recycled. Based on EPA calculations, diverting all the recyclable material from landfills could save the equivalent energy used by 219,000 typical households. Given the state of the Dane County landfill, the county department of waste management is in the early steps of proposing a new sustainability campus that would include a new landfill.
Since recycling first began, recycling technologies have changed. Always check your local municipality’s recycling guidelines, which are based on the technology they have available as well as current best practices, for how to put items into your curbside bin. There are often differences in what can be recycled curbside or recycled through drop-off sites or point-of-purchase collection sites.

Here are a few highlights of what we discussed; see the slides for more details and helpful resources.
• Recycle more, recycle right.

The more we recycle, the greater our positive impact on the earth can be, and it also helps businesses.
“Wish-cycling” (putting something in the recycling hoping it can be recycled when it can’t) is worse than just putting it in the trash. This causes added expense and contaminates our recyclables, making them less valuable.

• Know before you throw, and when in doubt throw it out.

Learn what you can recycle in your area, and how to recycle each product before putting it in the recycling. If you aren’t sure, it’s better to trash it. For Madison, you can check out the Recyclopedia for more details.

• Recyclables should be clean and dry.

Recyclables are like dishes—clean them and they can be used again.
Empty, clean, and dry recyclables before adding them to your cart.
Keep food and liquid (contaminates) out of your recycling. These reduce the quality of the recyclable material and erode the revenue municipalities receive.
Keep the lid on your recycling cart closed to keep wet weather and animals out of your bin, which can contaminate your recyclables.

• Size and shape matter.

Curbside recyclables should be larger than a standard sticky note (2″ × 2″). (See slides for shredded paper instructions.)
Paper (including cardboard) should be flat, while the rest of the items for recycling should be kept 3D, in their original shape (don’t crush your cans or cartons).
Replace lids on cartons to maintain shape. Remove lids from glass bottles and recycle separately.
Both refrigerated and shelf-stable cartons can be recycled if clean and dry, with their lids on.

• Keep it loose: Don’t bag your recyclables, and keep plastic bags out of your recycling cart.

Place recyclables loose into the cart!
Garbage should be bagged.
Bagged recyclables are contaminates.

If you must use a plastic bag for recycling, use a clear bag so sorters can identify what is inside as recyclable. If the bag is not see-through, it will be assumed to be trash.

Plastic bags and plastic film need special handling and do not go in curbside bins.
Do not place plastic bags or plastic film into your curbside recycling cart. (Reuse when possible.) They get tangled in the sorting equipment, slowing down the process.
Collect clean and dry plastic bags together and bring to point-of-purchase recycling collection spots.
Many stores offer take-back programs that will recycle these materials. For a list of the stores where you can return bags, visit the Plastic Bags page at www.cityofmadison.com/recycling.

• Periodically check your local guidelines for updates.

As of December 2021, Madison residents can now recycle empty and dry paper cups.
- Remove and discard any plastic lids and straws.
- Cardboard sleeves around takeout coffee cups should be removed and placed separately into the recycling.

• Recycle oral care products.

Artisan Dental recycling program is the first oral care products recycling program in the Dane County area.
The program is designed to help keep toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, floss containers, deodorant containers, soap wrappers, and mouthwash containers out of landfills.
This project supports Feeding America.

• Look for How2Recycle labels that provide clear instructions on how to recycle on item. Encourage companies to adopt this standard.

Supporting the South Side of Madison: Black Business Hub and Allied Wellness Center

03/01/2022 03:42:03 PM

Mar1

At our annual Shabbat honoring the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we welcomed Dr. Ruben Anthony, CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison, who offered a presentation on an exciting new project: the Black Business Hub and Black Business Accelerator, part of the exciting renaissance happening in South Madison.

South Madison has long been home to our communities of color—African American, Latino, Hmong—and is a cherished place of community and support, but sadly, as a city, we have also long underinvested in this area. That story is now changing, thanks to the leadership of people like Dr. Ruben Anthony, Kaleem Caire (One City Schools), Dr. Alex Gee (Nehemiah, Fountain of Life Church, and the new Cultural Center), Dr. Jack Daniels (Madison College), and others. You can learn more about the South Madison renaissance here.

The Black Business Hub will be devoted to incubating, accelerating, and networking Black and other entrepreneurs of color. The Hub will be a four-story, 76,000 square foot building located on Park Street near the Urban League and Goodman Library. It will house retail and other businesses ranging from start-ups to established businesses, including food, personal care, financial services, entertainment, technology, co-working space, and a rentable commercial kitchen. The Black Business Hub Accelerator will offer entrepreneurial supports including loans, grants, technical assistance, networking, and more.

If you’d like to hear Dr. Anthony’s presentation, go to the TBE YouTube page, where the presentation begins at 1:05:30. You can also read more here.

As part of our observation of this weekend, Temple Beth El also sponsored a collection for Nehemiah's Allied Wellness Center's Essentials Pantry, providing residents of the Allied neighborhood with critically needed health and hygiene products, such as toilet paper, toothpaste, deodorant, razors, diapers, tampons, and shampoo, as well as bus tickets, gas cards, and grocery cards.

This year Congregation Shaarei Shamayim joined in, and together our members donated over $2,200 in January! Nehemiah and the Allied Wellness Center are incredibly grateful to our community for the support, which, especially during these difficult economic times and COVID pandemic, have proven to be absolutely essential to the Allied neighbors. This drive is becoming a regular event, twice a year at MLK weekend and Juneteenth.

The New UW Center for DREAMers Offers Vital Support for Immigrant Students

03/01/2022 02:54:45 PM

Mar1

by Lynn Silverman

While navigating college admissions can be challenging for any student, imagine how much more difficult and stressful this is for students who are undocumented or DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients. These are students who also have to wonder how to answer questions about citizenship, who are faced with paying out-of-state tuition at Wisconsin state schools, who do not know if they are even eligible for any scholarships or loans, who feel unsupported and wonder if they even belong, and who end up questioning their own abilities and self-worth.

Erika Rosales, herself an undocumented immigrant and DACA recipient, is a first-generation college student who had to struggle with these issues on her own and wanted to support others who are facing these same obstacles. She joined forces with Erin Barbato, director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the UW Law School, to launch the Center for Dreamers. Erika is now the director of the center, which will provide services for the nearly 6,000 DACA recipients in Wisconsin. You can read about its services here.

Temple Beth El’s Immigrant and Refugee Rights Action Team, together with Dane Sanctuary Coalition, was honored to host a presentation by Ms. Rosales and Ms. Barbato to discuss the importance of these supports and provide details about the services the center will provide. The goal of the center is to empower DACA and undocumented students to achieve their highest educational goals through access to culturally responsive legal representation (free and confidential), social services (including mental health), and educational and career services (including financial counseling).

Following this presentation, the speakers also gave us an update on recent immigration policy changes and continuing challenges. We then brainstormed ideas for future educational and action steps, including several volunteer opportunities. For anyone who missed this presentation, you can watch it here.

Dane Sanctuary Coalition meeting: If you’d like to be more involved with immigration issues, please join us for the next meeting of the Dane Sanctuary Coalition (DSC). DSC is holding a coalition-wide meeting on Sunday, March 13, 6:30 to 8:00 pm via Zoom. We will hear from a panel of our immigration partners with updates about their work for immigrant justice, opportunities for volunteering, and ideas for action. Congregations will have the opportunity to share their immigrant justice work as well as hear from the DSC Steering Committee about upcoming projects. Click here to RSVP.

At Social Action Shabbat, Learn How Dane County Is Taking Action on Climate Change

03/01/2022 02:36:46 PM

Mar1

This year, our Social Action Shabbat will focus on climate action. We'll hear from Dane County Executive Joe Parisi about how climate change is impacting Dane County and what Dane County is doing to increase climate resilience and reduce countywide emissions. Dane County has been recognized as one of the top local governments in the world for its environmental transparency and action.

County Executive Parisi will summarize efforts within county government operations as well as communitywide initiatives that create opportunities for businesses, nonprofits, local governments, and households to take action. You can read more about Mr. Parisi here.
In addition to the Shabbat service with Parisi’s remarks, our Environment and Climate Change Action Team invites you to:
• Enter the drawing for everyday items that can help you lead a more sustainable life:

Prize 1: Mesh produce bags: Lucky you! You can stop using plastic bags in the produce section at the grocery store if you win this door prize—a pack of see-through mesh produce bags in three different sizes that you can use at the grocery store or at one of Madison's summer farmer's markets. (Donated by Betsy Abramson.)
Prize 2: Sustainable, reusable bundle (two available): This bundle comes in a reusable tote bag that can be taken to the grocery store or any other store to replace a plastic or paper bag. It includes one roll of Reel bamboo toilet paper, one metal straw, one Swedish dishcloth, and one package of four mesh produce bags. (Donated by Liz Whitesel; most items sourced locally from Orange Tree Imports.)
Prize 3: “One: Pot, Pan, Planet” cookbook by Anna Jones: This book offers easy, creative, and delicious vegetarian recipes and includes informative sections on how to reduce food waste, eat sustainably, and save energy.
Drawing entries are now being accepted. Enter and find full details for the drawing here.

• Come in person to explore the Eco-Fair between 7:00 and 7:30 pm before the service. The Eco-Fair will showcase products and ideas that can help all of us reduce our adverse impacts on the earth and live more sustainably. We hope you will join us!
• Look for our online Eco-Portal, coming soon, with information and action you can take in your daily life to help our planet. We hope you'll take on one or more of these actions and make them a part of your regular behaviors, and revisit the portal when you’re ready to incorporate another action.
We look forward to ushering in Shabbat together in person or online. To view this event on livestream, go to this link on YouTube.
Sponsored by the Environment and Climate Change Action Team, part of the Social Action Committee. To join the Environment and Climate Change Action Team or learn more, contact Marta Karlov or Aleeza Hoffert, or join our monthly meeting on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

Celebrating our Member Milestones: Karen and Harry Roth

02/28/2022 10:42:48 AM

Feb28

Member Milestones is an initiative at Temple Beth El to spotlight our longtime members, who have provided a strong foundation for our community.

Check out other Member Milestones stories here.

Meet Longtime Members Karen and Harry Roth

Interviewed by Sue Center
Written by Samantha Gorelik and Karen Roth

Karen and Harry Roth arrived in Madison in 1965 to begin Harry’s residency in ophthalmology at the University of Wisconsin.

They had just returned from spending two years in Japan at Yokota Air Base, where Harry was a flight surgeon and Karen was a teacher. In 1964 Harry was sent on temporary duty to Bien Hoa Air Base, Vietnam, where he was awarded the Bronze Star.

In 1965 the couple joined TBE. They note that Rabbi Manfred Swarsensky’s outstanding sermons played a large role in their desire to join. The couple fell in love with the Temple, its vibrant community, and the beautiful stained-glass windows.

Karen remembers sitting next to the rabbi’s wife, Ida, at a Sisterhood luncheon years ago, when Ida told her the story of how she and the rabbi fell in love. Ida’s parents had sent her to Madison from her home in Chicago to attend summer school at the University of Wisconsin. Soon after arriving in Madison, she was injured in an auto accident and was admitted to University Hospital. Rabbi Swarsensky visited her on his hospital rounds, and they became friends. After she was discharged, they started to date—and the rest is history!

The Roths had two daughters, Sara and Julie, who became active members of the Madison Jewish community. Both attended Religious School at TBE from kindergarten through Midrasha, and Karen and Harry believe the foundation they received at TBE led them to become leaders within their own communities in adulthood. Sara, who sadly passed away five years ago, spent a semester at Tel Aviv University while she attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison and then received a law degree from DePaul University in Chicago. She later became involved with San Francisco’s Jewish community. She sent her children to Jewish schools, was an active member of her Temple, and successfully passed on Jewish values and traditions to her family. Julie attended the University of Michigan, went on to get an MBA at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, and is now the co-founder and CEO of the website PartySlate. She became very active in the Chicago Jewish Federation and led several trips to Israel. The Roths have six grandchildren, and all have had a bar or bat mitzvah.

Photo: Karen and Harry Roth with the Tree of Life sculpture

The Roths have many memories of special events and lasting friendships during their 57 years at TBE. They especially remember their close connection to Rabbi Kenneth and Helen Roseman and their children, Allison and Michael. Helen was Harry’s cousin, and the two families celebrated many Jewish holidays and birthdays together. When Harry’s father, Louis Roth, was very ill, the Rosemans brought an entire Passover dinner to the hospital waiting room to support the family.

As chair of the Temple Art Committee, Karen helped implement the Tree of Life sculpture that hangs in the Swarsensky Social Hall. She enlisted the help of local architect Don Richards, who suggested installing wood panels to continue the design of the sanctuary walls. Finding the best art for the empty space on the huge wall was challenging. At Lottie Frank’s suggestion, the committee contacted Madison artist Sylvia Beckman, and everyone was delighted with her ideas. Thanks to a generous gift from Sylvia and Henry Naiman in 2010, the tree was created in a Milwaukee studio. Karen remembers visiting the studio with Executive Director Heidi Lauhon, Rona Malofsky, and other committee members, and she even had the chance to paint some of the giant leaves that adorn the Tree of Life.

Photo: Karen Roth painting the Tree of Life sculpture in Milwaukee

Another project that Karen worked on with the Art Committee was the Holocaust memorial in memory of Ruth Frank’s parents, Martin and Eva Deutschkron, who survived World War II in Berlin while working as a tailor and a seamstress. They had some frightening escape stories, but they managed to survive and eventually came to Madison. A cabinet was constructed to house materials at TBE related to the Holocaust. Above it hangs a photograph of the Berlin Holocaust Memorial. Emerging from the dark slabs of the memorial is a boy wearing a bright red hat symbolizing the horrors of the past and hope for the future. Karen discovered the photo in a magazine and contacted the prize-winning photographer, Andrzej Bochenski, in Poland. He donated the image, titled “RIP,” at no cost to Temple Beth El when he was told how it would be used.

Outside of Temple Beth El, the Roths are involved in the Jewish community as supporters of Chabad, UW Hillel, Jewish studies programs at UW, the Jewish Federation of Madison, and the Beit Olamim cemetery. Beyond their Jewish community involvement, the Roths have many interests, including a passion for art and antiques. Harry is a member of the University of Wisconsin Chazen Museum of Art Council. He is also on the advisory board of the University of Wisconsin McPherson Eye Research Institute. Karen is a lifelong educator who is inspired by children. She loved teaching TBE Religious School with Bettine Lipman. She was a reading specialist in the Madison schools for 35 years, working with teachers and students to strengthen reading programs and implement best practices in reading for all students.

Karen and Harry now spend the winters in Marin County, California, helping with the care of their grandchildren. While in California they have stayed connected to the TBE community from afar. Through livestreamed and virtual events, they have been able to participate in countless Zoom services and musical programs. The Roths appreciate how well Rabbi Jonathan Biatch and Cantor Jacob Niemi have kept our community together with technology and creative programming.

This email series highlights members of 54 or more years who have been vital to building, growing, and sustaining the congregation. We thank the team of volunteers who have helped recognize these members by conducting interviews, writing their stories, proofreading, and more.

A video of our Membership Shabbat Reception, held on Friday, February 25, 2022, can be found here. You can find a link to the Milestone Members book featuring these stories on our Members Only page. (You must be logged in to view.)

May we continue to go from strength to strength!

Click the Donate button below to make a donation in honor of our Milestone Members. Select Member Milestone Honors for the donation type.

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Temple Beth El
2702 Arbor Drive
Madison, WI 53711

Celebrating our Member Milestones: Robert Pasch

02/28/2022 10:42:19 AM

Feb28

Meet Longtime Member Robert Pasch

Interviewed by Sue Center
Written by Staci Rieder

Bob Pasch joined Temple Beth El in 1946, when he was born to Maurice (Maury) and Janet Pasch, who were already embedded in our community. Maury served as Temple president from 1959 to 1961.

Maury and Janet met while both were students at UW–Madison, then spent time in Washington, DC, and subsequently returned to Madison. They lived next door to Janet’s sister, TBE member Edith Sinaiko, for many years. Bob attended Nakoma Elementary School, Cherokee Heights Junior High, and West High School, graduating in 1964. He grew up with two sisters, Ellen and Suzy. Ellen lives in California and has two daughters, and Suzy lives in New York and has a son.

Rabbi Manfred Swarsensky helped Bob prepare for his bar mitzvah. They would meet on Tuesdays leading up to the ceremony. He recalls with humor one session, when the rabbi wasn’t in the library at the designated meeting time. Bob went to look for him, and as he approached the kitchen, he heard a coffee cup shatter on the floor, followed by a curse word in English. Bob notes that Rabbi Swarsensky could curse in German, as well.

Bob recognizes that even though he rebelled against Religious School in his early years, his Temple Beth El experiences have shaped him. He admits that on at least one occasion, he entered the Temple for Sunday School, only to exit through the Knickerbocker doors seconds later to spend his time at the nearby Piggly Wiggly grocery store or Rennebohm’s pharmacy. He even remembers being caught there by Is Fine, who was the Religious School director at the time. Bob says Is reminded him of his transgression multiple times thereafter! Bob was close with the other eight students in the confirmation class, and there he forged a lifelong connection with Rick Sweet (son of Shirley Sweet, who worked in the Temple office for many years).

Bob left Madison in 1964 to attend Tulane University. He met Ina there, and they married in Dallas in 1968. They returned to Madison, and Bob spent six months in the Army Reserve before beginning law school. Bob and Ina raised two children, David and Andee. David lives in Chandler, Arizona, working as a sports broadcaster for ESPN and ABC. He is the voice of the Arizona Cardinals. He has raised three kids: Lexi, Zuzu, and Zeke. Andee is a senior vice president at Northern Trust Company in Chicago. She has a 21-year-old daughter, Sophie, and a son, Diego, who was born just days apart from his cousin Zeke.

Photo: Bob Pasch with granddaughter Sophie and daughter Andee

As young adults, Bob and Ina were part of the Young Married Couples group. He remembers monthly bridge games where they met other Temple members who became their friends. He joined the TBE Board of Trustees, participating on a committee reviewing membership contributions. He was the president of the board when Rabbi Kenneth Roseman officiated at David’s bar mitzvah. As board president from 1984 to 1986, he was involved with the 1985 rabbi search committee, chaired by Marj Tobias, which resulted in the hiring of Rabbi Jan Brahms.

Photo: Ina and Bob Pasch, co-chairs of TBE's 25th anniversary gala

When Bob spoke from the bimah as president, he recalls using the Goodman brothers (Madison philanthropists Robert and Irwin Goodman) as his focal point among the congregation, as he had first done years before at his bar mitzvah ceremony. They were large men, and they were a very comforting presence. He thinks of Marj Tobias, Mel and Pat Weinswig, and Sandy Dutch as leaders during that time. They had all served as recent presidents, and he strove to emulate their levels of commitment and service when it was his turn to lead.

Bob also served the larger Madison Jewish community. He joined committees of the Madison Jewish Community Council (MJCC, now the Jewish Federation of Madison) and became a trustee on the MJCC board.

Bob and Ina divorced in 1989. In 1991, fellow Temple members Ann Dee Brahms and Diane Krasnick each introduced Bob to fellow TBE member Janelle Blaustein. Rabbi Jan Brahms married Bob and Janelle in 1992. Janelle is a member of TBE Sisterhood, and she participates in Food-A-Rama. She has four children, the oldest of whom had already moved out when they married; Mindy is a retired Madison firefighter/paramedic. The younger three attended Temple Beth El’s Religious School while Larry Kohn was the education director. Michael now lives in El Salvador with his two daughters, Valentina and Eliza. Jesse and Sandra are still in the Madison area. Jesse paints houses, and he has a son named Jonah. Sandra is an assistant vice president at One Community Bank in Waunakee, and she is mother to Lily and Mackenzie.

Bob has fond memories of playing basketball in the social hall with Stan Mintz, Bill Spitz, Mark Krasno, Jack Novick, and Joel Kupferberg, among others. He emphasizes that Andee’s bat mitzvah is also a precious and proud memory. Bob chaperoned a school sleepover once, and one of the students, Andy Schwarz (son of longtime Temple members David and Shelly Schwarz) woke up stuck to the carpeting—by his braces!

Bob has been an attorney for 50 years, the last 37 with Murphy Desmond S.C. He practices with fellow Milestone Members Harvey Wendel and Chuck Center, as well as TBE members Daniel Lipman and Howard Goldberg.

Photo: Bob Pasch with grandson Diego and granddaughter Sophie

Bob has seen our Temple community grow in size from about 450 families in 1985, while he was serving as president, to a peak of over 700 families a short time later. Bob sees lots of new faces at Temple. He recognizes that families’ needs have grown, and he feels Temple Beth El has been accommodating, responding with improved programming and forward thinking.

He remembers Rabbi Swarsensky as “the most respected man in all of Madison.” He also states that “Rabbis Roseman and Brahms were wonderful rabbis, and each strengthened the congregation. It was a great pleasure to learn from them.” Now he appreciates Rabbi Jonathan Biatch and recognizes him as a wonderful storyteller.

Bob encourages current families to take advantage of our welcoming community.

Click the Donate button below to make a donation in honor of our Milestone Members. Select Member Milestone Honors for the donation type.

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Temple Beth El
2702 Arbor Drive
Madison, WI 53711

Celebrating our Member Milestones: Judy Schreiber

02/28/2022 10:40:48 AM

Feb28

Meet Longtime Member Judy Schreiber

Interviewed by Sue Center
Written by Aleeza Hoffert

Judy Schreiber was born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, where she was brought up at Temple Mishkan Israel, a Reform congregation.

After she received an undergraduate degree in teaching and a master’s degree in guidance and counseling, Judy taught third and fourth grade in Connecticut. She married Peter Schreiber in 1966. The couple moved to Brooklyn Heights, New York, where Peter worked on his dissertation and Judy was a guidance counselor for children with emotional disturbance in the Navy Yard. After getting beaten up a few times, Judy switched to a school in Bedford-Stuyvesant, where she caught whooping cough. Her final teaching job in New York was at the Brooklyn Ethical Culture School. Peter finished his dissertation and received eight job offers. Seven were on the East Coast, but the eighth was for a position in Madison. Peter fell in love with Madison and chose to take the job at the University of Wisconsin. In those days, the wife followed her husband, so even though Judy would have liked to stay closer to friends and family, the Schreibers relocated to Madison.

After 25 years of life on the East Coast, the move to Madison in 1968 was difficult for Judy. She perceived hesitancy among the local community toward developing close friendships with new professors and their families, when career changes might result in them moving away for another position. The transition was made easier when Judy and Peter became involved in the Young Couples Group soon after joining TBE. This group opened the door for them to meet a lot of people, form friendships, and have fun!

She remembers the Temple as warm and welcoming and very inclusive. From the very start of her membership, Judy was a part of Food-A-Rama. She was told that she could serve hot dogs on the line for only one year because it was a very coveted job. Judy ended up serving hot dogs every year through 2019 (the most recent in-person Food-A-Rama), and she loved every minute of it!

Judy recently found an old invitation to a Young Couples party, a Chinese food dinner. Susan Cohen (now Susan Lipp) and Ina Smolker were the cooks, but the party was such a hit that there was not enough food. Judy, Susan, and Ina had a good laugh recently, seeing the invitation and remembering how they had to send their husbands out to buy Chinese food from a restaurant during the party because they had not made enough.

Chinese food plays a prominent part in Judy’s memories. Rabbi Kenneth Roseman was around Judy’s age, and he thought it would be fun to have six people or so host cocktail parties in their homes, after which the groups would meet at the Grand Pagoda Chinese restaurant for dinner. Judy helped orchestrate this event and volunteered to host a party. Peter and Judy made whiskey sour cocktails, and when they got to the restaurant, every person from their group was a little noisy and out of control, and it became quite obvious to the rest of the group that anyone who had been at Peter and Judy’s before dinner was having an especially good time. Judy reflects that the Temple did so many things for the “young and medium-young couples,” and it made the place a very welcoming institution.

Photo: Judy Schreiber with her daughters, Beth Schreiber and Margaret Schreiber, and granddaughters, Ava Khan, Jessica Kahn, and Julia Sitz

Judy’s daughters, Margaret and Elizabeth (Beth), were born in Madison and grew up at Temple Beth El. Beth’s bat mitzvah in October 1985 was the last event that Rabbi Roseman officiated at TBE. Margaret’s confirmation class was during Rabbi Jan Brahms’s first year at TBE. Rabbi Brahms married both Beth and Margaret. Beth and her husband, Russell Kahn, moved back to Madison from New York after their daughters, Ava and Jessica, were born. Judy knows how fortunate she is that the Schreiber-Kahn family is local. They are also members of TBE. Margaret and her husband (Dave Sitz) and daughter (Julia) live in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Photo: Judy Schreiber (center) with her daughters, Margaret Schreiber (left) and Beth Schreiber

When Margaret was three and Beth a baby, Judy told Margaret’s teacher at Gan HaYeled that she would like to bring Margaret’s new little sister as “show and tell.” When she asked about a good time to come, Judy saw that the lesson plan book was empty. This observation prompted Judy to get involved in revamping Gan HaYeled. (Little did Judy know that she would have two granddaughters attend Gan HaYeled some 30 years later!) Judy is proud of all the wonderful people who kept making the school better.

Judy’s strong background in education propelled her to get involved in the education program at TBE. Around 1978, Judy served on a committee to hire a new Temple educator to work closely with Rabbi Roseman. Judy recognized Larry Kohn’s strong skills in education and advocated to bring him into the role. Larry became our beloved Temple educator and stayed in that role for 35 years. Judy thinks fondly of Larry and the wonderful work he did with the school, the Shabbatons, and all of his contributions. Larry, a true mensch, continues to be special to Judy’s family and has been there for them through happy and sad situations.

Judy started her own company called RSVP Invitations and Stationery. She thrived as an event planner and seller of invitations, stationery, and gifts. Working in this field for 45 years, Judy helped with numerous b’nai mitzvah, weddings, and other celebrations. She also volunteered her time and expertise for many fundraisers, including the Sisterhood Centennial at the Marriott, the celebration of Rabbi Brahms’s 25th anniversary in the rabbinate, a brunch honoring Marj Tobias, the TBE 75th anniversary festivities, and Rabbi Jonathan Biatch’s “bar mitzvah” celebration marking 13 years at TBE. Judy always took pleasure in helping, saying, “It was done with great happiness.”

Judy has had the pleasure of getting to know all the Temple Beth El rabbis over the years, and she also has appreciated the help from TBE staff, who were always supportive and kind.

Coming from the East Coast, where 60 of her best friends were Jewish, to a community where the Jewish population was only about 3,000 was a culture shock for Judy. This inspired her to work hard to make the community more inclusive. She got involved in the Madison Jewish Community Council (MJCC), now the Jewish Federation of Madison (JFM). She was in the second cohort of the Young Leadership Group, which started a Welcome Wagon, later renamed Shalom Madison, welcoming new Jewish arrivals to Madison. Using a mimeograph machine, they made recipe boxes and lists of Jewish resources for the newcomers, helping them create a Jewish life in a new setting. Judy later joined the JFM leadership. She served as president and was campaign chair three times. She also served on the National United Jewish Appeal Young Women’s Board. From 1983 to 1984, Judy took on the MJCC interim executive director job while the community searched for someone to fill the position.

During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Hadassah was allowed to collect funds for Israel. Judy teamed up with Karen Venezky to organize an “Auction for Israel.” They raised $10,000, and with the leftover donated items they opened a consignment store in 1974, thinking the store might be open about three months, Collector’s Corner is still open and run by Hadassah volunteers.

Photo: Judy Schreiber, back row second from left, at TBE's 75th anniversary gala

Judy reflects on her involvement with the community-wide Hava Nagila Picnic. In 1980 Judy was president of the Women’s Service Organization, which brought together all the Jewish women’s organizations in Madison: ORT, Hadassah, the Temple Beth El and Beth Israel Center Sisterhoods, B’nai B’rith Women, and others. The first Jewish community picnic, organized by Judy and Tina Krasno, was held at Rennebohm Park in summer 1980. A contest was held to come up with the best name for the picnic, and only two people submitted a name—Vicki Stewart and Susan Pittelman. Both happened to choose the same name: Hava Nagila Picnic! To this day there is still a Hava Nagila Picnic organized by JFM.

Judy is happy that she worked so hard to bring shared experiences and build community for the Madison Jewish community. She feels that her children and grandchildren (and many others) have benefited, and now it is time to pass the torch. She hopes all TBE members will heed her call to be involved locally and to support Israel.

In the meantime, Judy wants everyone to know that with 45 years of experience under her belt, she is happy to volunteer her time to assist Temple Beth El members who are planning life-cycle events during the pandemic. She isn’t ready to give up community work quite yet!

Click the Donate button below to make a donation in honor of our Milestone Members. Select Member Milestone Honors for the donation type.

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Temple Beth El
2702 Arbor Drive
Madison, WI 53711

Celebrating our Member Milestones: Shelly Dutch

02/28/2022 10:38:48 AM

Feb28

Meet Longtime Member Shelly Dutch

Interviewed by Susan Ottmann
Written by Aleeza Hoffert

Photo: Shelly Dutch with her kids, Alex and Carly Dutch-Greene

Shelly’s Dutch involvement at Temple Beth El and in the Jewish community is deeply connected to her mother, Sandy Dutch.

Sandy was a “legend in herself,” with a strong presence at Temple. Sandy was one of the creators of Food-A-Rama. She was also a pioneer in the Reform movement and pushed for women to have equal rights. In particular, Shelly recalls her mother advocating against the prayer book’s use of “he” all the time. “She was just a really progressive thinker. I think she kept us all involved, whether we liked it or not,” Shelly said. She was always proud of her mother, who was her best friend until her death at age 67.

Photo: Sandy Dutch

Sandy and Sherman Dutch had three kids: Shelly, Greg, and David. All three have confirmation photos on the wall at Temple. Shelly’s brothers also became bar mitzvah with Rabbi Manfred Swarsensky; a bat mitzvah was not an option at the time. Shelly can still read the Hebrew that she learned in Sunday School, but her comprehension is not so great! Shelly remembers sitting through sermons and asking to go to the bathroom, and then running to get doughnuts at the grocery store with her brothers.

The Dutch kids all went to Camp Shalom. Later, Shelly taught kindergarten at TBE and worked at Gan HaYeled preschool.

For 10 years, Shelly lived in a variety of places—California, Oregon, Kentucky, and Illinois—before returning to Madison to be near her parents and get her life together.

Shelly has two children, Alex and Carly Dutch-Greene, and a wonderful husband, Chuck Callender. Like Shelly, her children attended Camp Shalom, and they attended Camp Interlaken as well. Both children became b’nai mitzvah at TBE. Carly is the senior visual designer at Sounds True in Denver and is currently in a remote-year program, living, working, and traveling in Europe and South Africa. Alex lives in Minneapolis, has a master’s in organizational health, and is currently working remotely from San Diego with his mom and Chuck.

Photo: Shelly Dutch and Carly Dutch-Greene at Carly's bat mitzvah

One bittersweet memory for Shelly is her son Alex’s bar mitzvah. She and her mother had spent years planning for it, as he was the first grandchild. Guests from all over the country were invited, and it was a very special time. Just before the big event, her mother wound up in the hospital. Two Temple members who were doctors, Jim Sosman and Jim Stein, went to see if they could help get her to the bar mitzvah. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible. Shelly was devastated and couldn’t imagine having the bar mitzvah without her mom there. Alex, who was just 13, looked into her eyes and said, “Mom, Grandy would want us to go on and do a great job and make our family and friends proud.” He helped Shelly in that moment to step up and realize what was important. With the support of some of their friends at Temple and Rabbi Jan Brahms, they got through the bar mitzvah, a beautiful Havdalah service. Larry Kohn, as both Temple educator and friend, was also a pivotal part of their family’s life.

Photo: Alex Dutch-Greene at the bimah during his bar mitzvah with Rabbi Brahms

Shelly was more involved in Sisterhood when her mom was alive; she enjoyed socializing and enticing people with the dessert cart for Food-A-Rama for many years.

Along with her mother’s influence, the friendships with other couples that developed when her kids were growing up have kept her connected to the Jewish community. She is still close with some of them, including Cari and Steve DiTullio, Jim and Missy Sosman, and Rozan and Brian Anderson, along with her brother Greg Dutch and Sandy Estep.

Shelly is an avid cyclist and participated in a cycling fundraiser with the Madison Jewish Community Council (MJCC, now the Jewish Federation of Madison). Nine years ago Shelly and her husband, Chuck Callender, went on a group bicycling trip through Israel. Seeing the Red Sea, the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, and much more on this trip was one of the greatest experiences of her life.

As a person in long-term recovery from alcohol and drugs, Shelly became a therapist and started her clinic, Connections Counseling, in 2003. With over 40 staff, they work with all ages doing outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment. She was the director of the clinic until 2021. Now, she is trying to decrease her responsibilities and enjoy slowing down on the work front.

Shelly also started Horizon High School, an alternative high school for adolescents in recovery, and she is the founder of the Recovery Foundation, a nonprofit with a volunteer board that raises money for scholarships for those who cannot afford treatment. In partnership with MJCC, she was active in starting the Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Dependent Persons and Significant Others (JACS) group.

Shelly emphasizes that it’s a myth that Jewish people don’t suffer from these issues. She works to counteract shame about substance use disorders and tries to be very open about her recovery, as it takes a village. Shelly is very proud of this work, both personally and professionally. She strives to be available to people who need support in the Jewish community.

Acceptance, equity, and diversity are areas where she has seen changes over the years. She mentions how TBE is really trying to welcome all people into the synagogue and help them feel part of a community.

Shelly feels it’s extremely important to carry on Jewish traditions and support our Jewish culture. She recognizes that young people are doing more of their own things these days, and she hopes we can all “be the change and live in the solution and not the problem to keep the traditions of our Jewish culture strong.”

“The beautiful thing about Madison is it’s not that large of a community, and when you grow up here, you really get to know the Jewish community,” Shelly says. She feels so fortunate that almost anywhere she goes, she runs into people that she knows or who knew her mother or father or know her brother Greg, who works as a lawyer in Madison and is involved in the community.

It warms Shelly’s heart and gives her such joy to have such long-term connections with people in our community.

Click the Donate button below to make a donation in honor of our Milestone Members. Select Member Milestone Honors for the donation type.

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Temple Beth El
2702 Arbor Drive
Madison, WI 53711

Celebrating our Member Milestones: Freda and Jim Blair

02/28/2022 10:36:34 AM

Feb28

Meet Longtime Members Freda and Jim Blair

Interviewed by Susan Ottmann
Written by Aleeza Hoffert

Before meeting her husband James (Jim) Blair in Madison, Wisconsin, Freda Vodovosoff witnessed history in the making.

She was born February 2, 1938, in Tel Aviv, during the British Mandate. Her grandmother, Fayga Levinson, was from Russia and had ten children, seven boys and three girls. Freda’s mother, Sylvia, was the second youngest of the girls. The youngest girl, Freda, died from tuberculosis. Freda Vodovosoff Blair is named for her.

When Fayga left Russia, she took her family to St. Louis, Missouri, always hopeful that there would be a Jewish state. Fayga heard Golda Meir speak in Milwaukee to recruit American support for the formation of a Jewish state in British Palestine. This reinforced her desire to go to Palestine and work for the establishment of a Jewish state. Fayga left her seven oldest children in Missouri with her husband, and took the three youngest, including Sylvia, to Palestine.

Freda’s father, Leon, had escaped from the Bolsheviks by fleeing across Russia to Vladivostok. From there he went to Paris and later to Tel Aviv, where he met and married Sylvia and they had Freda. The family lived in Palestine through World War II and the War of Independence in 1948. Despite being a child, Freda still remembers the War of Independence. Like her grandmother, she is a strong supporter and lover of Israel.

Photo: Freda Blair enjoying the sunset in Israel in 2009

After the war they took a ship to the U.S. via Egypt, but Leon had a fatal heart attack in Alexandria and was buried there. Sylvia didn’t know whether to return to Israel or to go on to America. She asked Freda, who answered that she wanted to go to America “to see the escalators.” So they went on to New York, and from there to St. Louis, where Freda graduated from Washington University with a teaching degree. The family joked that Sylvia always had one foot in Israel and one foot in St. Louis, and always talked about reuniting the family, which over the years has spread out all over America.

James (Jim) Blair was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but his family moved quite a bit. He spent the summer of 1941 in Bermuda before ending up in Kansas City, Missouri, where he lived until he graduated from Rockhurst, a Jesuit college (now Rockhurst University).

Jim and Freda came to Madison from opposite ends of Missouri. Jim was a graduate student at UW–Madison, having received a National Science Foundation scholarship, and Freda was spending the summer here. The only thing Jim knew about Madison was that some UW professors had written a textbook on physical chemistry that he liked. Upon arriving, he quickly learned there was a big lake. He had never been on a sailboat, but he rushed to join the Hoofers sailing club and has been sailing ever since. He has taught sailing for the Hoofers for many years. Joe Silverberg, another Milestone Member, also taught sailing for the Hoofers.

Photo: Freda Blair leaning in to right the sailboat with Jim Blair steering

Freda and Jim met at the July 4 Hoofers picnic in 1958. He offered her a watermelon, the prize of a contest that hadn’t taken place yet. Fortunately he won, and was able to keep his word. They married on January 21, 1961. After Jim received his PhD in chemistry and Freda received her MS in library science from UW, they moved to New Jersey, where Jim worked for DuPont. After two years, they moved back to Madison, where he taught chemistry at Milton College near Janesville. They bought the house they still live in today, and joined Temple Beth El in 1966 during Rabbi Manfred Swarsensky’s time.

Freda met three couples at Temple who quickly became her closest friends: Barbara and Chuck Gordon, Lowell and Julie Lakritz, and Lois and Norton Stoler. Together they formed a gourmet club and got together monthly to prepare and enjoy an extravagant meal, often with a cultural theme. Julie was a Holocaust survivor who had escaped to the Dominican Republic, where she learned Spanish, which enabled her to teach Spanish when she came to the United States. They had a lot of fun together and formed a close bond.

Over the years the Blairs enjoyed seders at Temple, where they got to know other members. They loved the singing and dancing programs in particular, especially Israeli folk dancing and Israeli music. The Blairs enjoyed Sisterhood programs and speakers on current events as well as the Jewish Social Services Lechayim Lunch programs before the pandemic. Freda remembers having a lovely conversation at one lunch with the woman seated next to her. Late in the conversation Freda realized she was the mother of Robert Fassnacht, who had been killed in the Sterling Hall bombing and whose funeral Rabbi Swarsensky officiated.

Freda and Jim had two children: Leon, named after Freda’s father, and Cynthia (Cindy), named after Freda’s grandmother. Both children were named at TBE by Rabbi Swarsensky, attended Religious School, and were confirmed at Temple. Their photos appear in the gallery of confirmation class pictures, four years apart. Leon had his bar mitzvah at Temple; bat mitzvah was not a common practice at that time.

June 23, 1983 is forever etched into the Blairs’ minds. Their world flipped upside down that day when their son accidentally shot himself at age 21. Leon had been playing basketball with a friend at a park near the lake. It was a hot day, and the water fountain at the park was broken, so they rode their bikes to the friend’s girlfriend’s apartment nearby. The friend went into the kitchen to get the drinks. Leon walked into the living room, where the girlfriend had been packing up to leave. Leon spotted a purple Crown Royal whiskey bag. He picked up the bag, but it contained the girlfriend’s gun, not alcohol. Lacking adequate safety training, she had thought it was unloaded. It turned out to have one bullet left, and Leon accidentally shot himself. He died in the hospital shortly after. “It was horrible, horrible.”

This awful time brought the Blairs closer to Temple. Freda’s gourmet club friends came to comfort her, and Rabbi Kenneth Roseman was an amazing source of support. In Freda’s words, “Rabbi Roseman was just outstanding. He was so good, he lifted me up spiritually, and even physically.” Rabbi Roseman continued to play a role in their lives.

The Blairs will never forget the first Rosh Hashanah after Leon’s death, when Rabbi Roseman devoted his sermon to Leon. There was an empty chair on the bimah. When it came time for the sermon, Rabbi Roseman walked over to the chair and said, “This is the chair that would have been occupied by Leon Vodovosoff Blair, son of Freda and James Blair, and I want to tell you what happened to him because he died in an accident that could have been prevented.” Rabbi Roseman was trying to warn students and parents to prevent future accidental deaths by guns. The tears flowed down Freda’s cheeks. This moment continues to mean so much to the Blairs and strengthened the connection they always felt they had with Temple. Freda cherishes the memorial plaques that hang on the Temple wall for her parents and her son.

Years later, when Freda was in the hospital recovering from surgery, Cantor Deborah Martin and others from the Jewish community visited her. Jim and Freda feel blessed to have such a community around them that they can call on when needed, especially because their family isn’t nearby.

Photo: Jacki Friend, Lois Stoler (also a Milestone Member), and Freda and Jim Blair

The fact that Freda knew and spoke Hebrew and had a degree in library science came in handy when she was offered a job at the University of Wisconsin library. The library had bought a Hebrew typewriter, but no one knew how to use it. Freda said she could help out, as she could type and use the Hebrew alphabet. She loved her job in the catalog department on the third floor of the library and worked there for many years.

Jim taught at Milton College for 13 years, until it closed, then taught at Edgewood College for two years before working for a private company and finally for the State Laboratory of Hygiene until his retirement.

Freda and Jim feel we should all be proud Jews and raise our children to be proud Jews. They also feel that teaching our children about World War II and the 6 million Jews who died in the Shoah is very important. Antisemitism needs to be fought wherever it appears. Having a Jewish state and celebrating Jewish holidays is also important to them. They encourage everyone to visit Israel and experience the feeling of Judaism being all around you. “When stores are closed and flags fly on Jewish holidays and Shabbat, you know this is a Jewish state. It’s a special feeling.”

They encourage you to support Israel not just with your dollars, but by raising proud Jews who know Israel is there for them.

Click the Donate button below to make a donation in honor of our Milestone Members. Select Member Milestone Honors for the donation type.

DONATE

Temple Beth El
2702 Arbor Drive
Madison, WI 53711

« BackPage 8 of 22Next »

October 31, 2025
9 Cheshvan 5786

Worship Schedule

All Events

Friday ,
OctOctober 31 , 2025

Shabbat Worship
Friday, Oct 31st 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
NovNovember 1 , 2025

Torah Study
Saturday, Nov 1st 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
NovNovember 7 , 2025

Swarsensky Memorial Weekend Shabbat Worship: Can the Interfaith Endeavor Survive Today’s Schisms?
Friday, Nov 7th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm
Swarsensky Memorial Weekend Shabbat Worship including Rabbi Dena Feingold speaking on "Can the Interfaith Endeavor Survive Today’s Schisms?"
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Saturday ,
NovNovember 8 , 2025

Torah Study
Saturday, Nov 8th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
NovNovember 14 , 2025

Likrat Shabbat (Welcoming Shabbat)
Friday, Nov 14th 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
The first Friday of each month is an all-ages Shabbat service with participation by Religious School students. Join us in welcoming Shabbat as students from each grade participate by leading a portion of the worship.
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Saturday ,
NovNovember 15 , 2025

Torah Study
Saturday, Nov 15th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
NovNovember 21 , 2025

Shabbat Midor Lador
Friday, Nov 21st 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm
A musical service for the whole Temple family, with Les Goldsmith and the Promised Band.
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Saturday ,
NovNovember 22 , 2025

Torah Study
Saturday, Nov 22nd 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
NovNovember 22 , 2025

Samuel Riley Bar Mitzvah
Saturday, Nov 22nd 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Friday ,
NovNovember 28 , 2025

Shabbat Worship
Friday, Nov 28th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
NovNovember 29 , 2025

Torah Study
Saturday, Nov 29th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
DecDecember 5 , 2025

Likrat Shabbat (Welcoming Shabbat)
Friday, Dec 5th 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
The first Friday of each month is an all-ages Shabbat service with participation by Religious School students. Join us in welcoming Shabbat as students from each grade participate by leading a portion of the worship.
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Saturday ,
DecDecember 6 , 2025

Torah Study
Saturday, Dec 6th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
DecDecember 6 , 2025

Elliot Margulius Bar Mitzvah
Saturday, Dec 6th 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Friday ,
DecDecember 12 , 2025

Shabbat Worship
Friday, Dec 12th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
DecDecember 13 , 2025

Torah Study
Saturday, Dec 13th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
DecDecember 13 , 2025

Orion Dvir Bar Mitzvah
Saturday, Dec 13th 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Friday ,
DecDecember 19 , 2025

Shabbat Midor Lador
Friday, Dec 19th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm
A musical service for the whole Temple family, with Les Goldsmith and the Promised Band.
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Saturday ,
DecDecember 20 , 2025

Torah Study
Saturday, Dec 20th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
DecDecember 26 , 2025

Shabbat Worship
Friday, Dec 26th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
DecDecember 27 , 2025

Torah Study
Saturday, Dec 27th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
JanJanuary 2 , 2026

Shabbat Worship
Friday, Jan 2nd 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
JanJanuary 3 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Jan 3rd 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
JanJanuary 9 , 2026

Shabbat Worship
Friday, Jan 9th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
JanJanuary 10 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Jan 10th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
JanJanuary 16 , 2026

Shabbat Midor Lador
Friday, Jan 16th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm
A musical service for the whole Temple family, with Les Goldsmith and the Promised Band.
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Saturday ,
JanJanuary 17 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Jan 17th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
JanJanuary 17 , 2026

Caitlin Sullivan Bat Mitzvah
Saturday, Jan 17th 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Friday ,
JanJanuary 23 , 2026

Shabbat Worship
Friday, Jan 23rd 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
JanJanuary 24 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Jan 24th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
JanJanuary 24 , 2026

Penelope Becker Bat Mitzvah
Saturday, Jan 24th 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Friday ,
JanJanuary 30 , 2026

Shabbat Shirah
Friday, Jan 30th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm
This week we celebrate Shabbat Shirah, the “Sabbath of Song,” when we read the story in the Torah about our ancestors singing at the shores of the Red Sea, having just escaped slavery and the armies of Pharaoh.
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Saturday ,
JanJanuary 31 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Jan 31st 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
FebFebruary 6 , 2026

Likrat Shabbat (Welcoming Shabbat)
Friday, Feb 6th 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
The first Friday of each month is an all-ages Shabbat service with participation by Religious School students. Join us in welcoming Shabbat as students from each grade participate by leading a portion of the worship.
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Saturday ,
FebFebruary 7 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Feb 7th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
FebFebruary 13 , 2026

Shabbat Worship
Friday, Feb 13th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
FebFebruary 14 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Feb 14th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
FebFebruary 20 , 2026

Shabbat Midor Lador
Friday, Feb 20th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm
A musical service for the whole Temple family, with Les Goldsmith and the Promised Band.
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Saturday ,
FebFebruary 21 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Feb 21st 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
FebFebruary 27 , 2026

Shabbat Worship with Sisterhood
Friday, Feb 27th 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Join us for Sisterhood Shabbat, one of the most beautiful and meaningful services of the year.
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Saturday ,
FebFebruary 28 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Feb 28th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
MarMarch 6 , 2026

Likrat Shabbat (Welcoming Shabbat)
Friday, Mar 6th 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
The first Friday of each month is an all-ages Shabbat service with participation by Religious School students. Join us in welcoming Shabbat as students from each grade participate by leading a portion of the worship.
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Saturday ,
MarMarch 7 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Mar 7th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
MarMarch 7 , 2026

Leila Lazar Bat Mizvah
Saturday, Mar 7th 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Saturday ,
MarMarch 7 , 2026

Leila Lazar Bat Mitzvah
Saturday, Mar 7th 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Friday ,
MarMarch 13 , 2026

Men's Club Shabbat
Friday, Mar 13th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm
Join us for Shabbat worship with participation by the Men's Club of Temple Beth El.
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Saturday ,
MarMarch 14 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Mar 14th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
MarMarch 14 , 2026

Ezra Friedman Bar Mitzvah
Saturday, Mar 14th 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Friday ,
MarMarch 20 , 2026

Shabbat Midor Lador
Friday, Mar 20th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm
A musical service for the whole Temple family, with Les Goldsmith and the Promised Band.
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Saturday ,
MarMarch 21 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Mar 21st 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
MarMarch 27 , 2026

Shabbat Worship
Friday, Mar 27th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
MarMarch 28 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Mar 28th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
AprApril 3 , 2026

Likrat Shabbat (Welcoming Shabbat)
Friday, Apr 3rd 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
The first Friday of each month is an all-ages Shabbat service with participation by Religious School students. Join us in welcoming Shabbat as students from each grade participate by leading a portion of the worship.
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Saturday ,
AprApril 4 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Apr 4th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
AprApril 10 , 2026

Shabbat Worship
Friday, Apr 10th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
AprApril 11 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Apr 11th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
AprApril 11 , 2026

Lital Adelman Bat Mitzvah
Saturday, Apr 11th 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Friday ,
AprApril 17 , 2026

Shabbat Midor Lador
Friday, Apr 17th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm
A musical service for the whole Temple family, with Les Goldsmith and the Promised Band.
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Saturday ,
AprApril 18 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Apr 18th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
AprApril 24 , 2026

Shabbat Worship
Friday, Apr 24th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
AprApril 25 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Apr 25th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
AprApril 25 , 2026

Aviva Barak Bat Mitzvah
Saturday, Apr 25th 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Friday ,
MayMay 1 , 2026

Likrat Shabbat (Welcoming Shabbat)
Friday, May 1st 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
The first Friday of each month is an all-ages Shabbat service with participation by Religious School students. Join us in welcoming Shabbat as students from each grade participate by leading a portion of the worship.
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Saturday ,
MayMay 2 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, May 2nd 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
MayMay 2 , 2026

Jada Deano Bat Mitzvah
Saturday, May 2nd 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Friday ,
MayMay 8 , 2026

Shabbat Worship
Friday, May 8th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
MayMay 9 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, May 9th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
MayMay 15 , 2026

Shabbat Midor Lador
Friday, May 15th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm
A musical service for the whole Temple family, with Les Goldsmith and the Promised Band.
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Saturday ,
MayMay 16 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, May 16th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
MayMay 22 , 2026

Shabbat Worship
Friday, May 22nd 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
MayMay 23 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, May 23rd 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
MayMay 29 , 2026

Shabbat Worship
Friday, May 29th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
MayMay 30 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, May 30th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
MayMay 30 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, May 30th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
MayMay 30 , 2026

Bert LeBarron Bar Mitzvah
Saturday, May 30th 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Friday ,
JunJune 5 , 2026

Shabbat Worship
Friday, Jun 5th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
JunJune 6 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Jun 6th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
JunJune 6 , 2026

Sally Raether Bat Mitzvah
Saturday, Jun 6th 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Friday ,
JunJune 12 , 2026

Shabbat Worship
Friday, Jun 12th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
JunJune 13 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Jun 13th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
JunJune 13 , 2026

Levi Trost Bar Mitzvah
Saturday, Jun 13th 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Friday ,
JunJune 19 , 2026

Shabbat Midor Lador
Friday, Jun 19th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm
A musical service for the whole Temple family, with Les Goldsmith and the Promised Band.
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Saturday ,
JunJune 20 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Jun 20th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
JunJune 26 , 2026

Shabbat Worship
Friday, Jun 26th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm

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Saturday ,
JunJune 27 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Jun 27th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
JunJune 27 , 2026

Emerson Spector Bat Mitzvah
Saturday, Jun 27th 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Saturday ,
JulJuly 4 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Jul 4th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
JulJuly 11 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Jul 11th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
JulJuly 17 , 2026

Shabbat Midor Lador
Friday, Jul 17th 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm
A musical service for the whole Temple family, with Les Goldsmith and the Promised Band.
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Saturday ,
JulJuly 18 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Jul 18th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
JulJuly 25 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Jul 25th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
JulJuly 25 , 2026

Sophia Wistrom Bat Mitzvah
Saturday, Jul 25th 10:30 am to 1:00 pm

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Saturday ,
AugAugust 1 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Aug 1st 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
AugAugust 1 , 2026

Rosemary Wright Bat Mitzvah
Saturday, Aug 1st 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Saturday ,
AugAugust 8 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Aug 8th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
AugAugust 8 , 2026

Ayla Mandel Bat Mitzvah
Saturday, Aug 8th 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Saturday ,
AugAugust 15 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Aug 15th 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Friday ,
AugAugust 21 , 2026

Shabbat Midor Lador
Friday, Aug 21st 6:00 pm to 7:15 pm
A musical service for the whole Temple family, with Les Goldsmith and the Promised Band.
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Saturday ,
AugAugust 22 , 2026

Torah Study
Saturday, Aug 22nd 9:00 am to 10:00 am

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Saturday ,
AugAugust 22 , 2026

Max Yablon Bar Mitzvah
Saturday, Aug 22nd 10:30 am to 12:00 pm

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Engage with us!

All Events

Friday ,
OctOctober 17 , 2025

Goodman Thanksgiving Basket Donations
Friday, Oct 17th (All day)
We are collecting specific foods for the Goodman Community Center’s 37th annual Thanksgiving Basket Drive to provide 4,000 Dane County families with the groceries they need to make a traditional holiday meal.
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Friday ,
OctOctober 31 , 2025

Pre-Shabbat Nosh
Friday, Oct 31st 5:15 pm to 6:00 pm
Please join us for a light nosh before services.
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Sunday ,
NovNovember 2 , 2025

Judaica Shop Open
Sunday, Nov 2nd 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Temple Beth El Sisterhood runs our Judaica shop, the only dedicated Judaica shop in Madison. Stock up on Hanukkah, Shabbat, and other Judaica items.
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Sunday ,
NovNovember 2 , 2025

Parent/Guardian Koffee Kibbitz
Sunday, Nov 2nd 9:30 am to 10:30 am
Gather at Café Panim with other parents/guardians from your student's grade and get to know each other while your students are in Religious School.
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Sunday ,
NovNovember 2 , 2025

Youth Day
Sunday, Nov 2nd 11:45 am to 1:00 pm
Youth Day activities are for JEWniors (3rd–5th graders) and MuTTY (6th–8th graders). After a quick pizza lunch we will do an activity together. Our goal is to build relationships and create fun and relaxed Jewish spaces.
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Sunday ,
NovNovember 2 , 2025

Food-A-Rama Volunteer Sessions
Sunday, Nov 2nd 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm

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Sunday ,
NovNovember 2 , 2025

Food-A-Rama Volunteer Sessions
Sunday, Nov 2nd 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm

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Monday ,
NovNovember 3 , 2025

Food-A-Rama Volunteer Sessions
Monday, Nov 3rd 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

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Tuesday ,
NovNovember 4 , 2025

Food-A-Rama Volunteer Sessions
Tuesday, Nov 4th 7:30 am to 4:00 pm

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Tuesday ,
NovNovember 4 , 2025

Judaica Shop Open
Tuesday, Nov 4th 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Temple Beth El Sisterhood runs our Judaica shop, the only dedicated Judaica shop in Madison. Stock up on Hanukkah, Shabbat, and other Judaica items.
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Tuesday ,
NovNovember 4 , 2025

59th Annual Food-A-Rama
Tuesday, Nov 4th 10:30 am to 2:00 pm
Enjoy delicious deli-style lunches for dine-in, pickup, or delivery. Quantities are limited, so order now!
Register Now

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Wednesday ,
NovNovember 5 , 2025

Midrasha
Wednesday, Nov 5th 6:15 pm to 9:00 pm
Midrasha Hebrew High School
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Thursday ,
NovNovember 6 , 2025

House Committee Meeting
Thursday, Nov 6th 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

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Thursday ,
NovNovember 6 , 2025

CANCELED: Social Action Committee Meeting
Thursday, Nov 6th 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Social Action Committee meetings are held at 7:00 pm on the first Thursday of most months at Temple Beth El.
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Friday ,
NovNovember 7 , 2025

Singles Creating Community Coffee Klatch
Friday, Nov 7th 9:00 am to 10:30 am
Please join the Singles Creating Community group for breakfast.
Register Now

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Friday ,
NovNovember 7 , 2025

Pre-Shabbat Nosh
Friday, Nov 7th 5:15 pm to 6:00 pm
Please join us for a light nosh before services.
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Sunday ,
NovNovember 9 , 2025

Judaica Shop Open
Sunday, Nov 9th 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Temple Beth El Sisterhood runs our Judaica shop, the only dedicated Judaica shop in Madison. Stock up on Hanukkah, Shabbat, and other Judaica items.
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Sunday ,
NovNovember 9 , 2025

Swarsensky Memorial Brunch: Zionism and American Jews After October 7
Sunday, Nov 9th 9:45 am to 12:00 pm

Register Now

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Sunday ,
NovNovember 9 , 2025

MaTTY Bowling Night
Sunday, Nov 9th 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm

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Tuesday ,
NovNovember 11 , 2025

Office Closed
Tuesday, Nov 11th (All day)

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Wednesday ,
NovNovember 12 , 2025

Mitzvah Winter Holiday Shoeboxes for Nehemiah and FOSTER
Wednesday, Nov 12th (All day)
Help provide gifts for children and adults who might not otherwise receive any gifts in the 2025 holiday season who are clients of Nehemiah and FOSTER.
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Wednesday ,
NovNovember 12 , 2025

Midrasha
Wednesday, Nov 12th 6:15 pm to 9:00 pm
Midrasha Hebrew High School
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Thursday ,
NovNovember 13 , 2025

Board Meeting
Thursday, Nov 13th 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm

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Friday ,
NovNovember 14 , 2025

Likrat Shabbat Family Dinner
Friday, Nov 14th 5:15 pm to 6:00 pm
Join us for a light dinner preceding our Likrat Shabbat (Welcoming Shabbat) service on the first Friday of the month, November–May. Dinner is $18 per family unit/household. Please note: there is not a special Likrat Shabbat service on the first Friday in January.
Register Now

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Friday ,
NovNovember 14 , 2025

Pre-Shabbat Nosh
Friday, Nov 14th 5:15 pm to 6:00 pm
Please join us for a light nosh before services.
MORE INFO
Sunday ,
NovNovember 16 , 2025

TBE Bakers
Sunday, Nov 16th 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Join us for Sunday sessions where we will create community while baking delicious treats to share with the congregation at upcoming Temple Beth El events.
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Sunday ,
NovNovember 16 , 2025

Judaica Shop Open
Sunday, Nov 16th 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Temple Beth El Sisterhood runs our Judaica shop, the only dedicated Judaica shop in Madison. Stock up on Hanukkah, Shabbat, and other Judaica items.
MORE INFO
Sunday ,
NovNovember 16 , 2025

Sunday School for Adults
Sunday, Nov 16th 9:30 am to 10:30 am
This monthly course is an opportunity for adults who missed having a formal Jewish education, or would like a refresher, to have a parallel learning experience while their students are in Religious School.
MORE INFO
Sunday ,
NovNovember 16 , 2025

Parent/Guardian Koffee Kibbitz
Sunday, Nov 16th 9:30 am to 10:30 am
Gather at Café Panim with other parents/guardians from your student's grade and get to know each other while your students are in Religious School.
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Sunday ,
NovNovember 16 , 2025

Tots and Tunes
Sunday, Nov 16th 10:45 am to 11:45 am
This song and craft program for families with children ages 0–5 is open to the entire Madison Jewish community.
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Monday ,
NovNovember 17 , 2025

Fiber Arts Schmooze
Monday, Nov 17th 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Join friends at TBE for an evening of knitting, crocheting, stitching, and friendship!
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Tuesday ,
NovNovember 18 , 2025

Sisterhood "Monthly Mingle" Lunch
Tuesday, Nov 18th 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Join us for a Sisterhood lunch!
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Tuesday ,
NovNovember 18 , 2025

Serve Supper at the Catholic Multicultural Center
Tuesday, Nov 18th 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Join fellow TBE volunteers on the third Tuesday of each month to help serve dinner and clean up.
MORE INFO
Tuesday ,
NovNovember 18 , 2025

Environment and Climate Change Action Team Meeting
Tuesday, Nov 18th 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Join our action team as we make plans to engage the congregation in activities that raise awareness about environmental issues. We meet on Zoom.
MORE INFO
Wednesday ,
NovNovember 19 , 2025

ROMEO (Retired Old Men Eating Out)
Wednesday, Nov 19th 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

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Wednesday ,
NovNovember 19 , 2025

Judaica Shop Open
Wednesday, Nov 19th 4:00 pm to 6:15 pm
Temple Beth El Sisterhood runs our Judaica shop, the only dedicated Judaica shop in Madison. Stock up on Hanukkah, Shabbat, and other Judaica items.
MORE INFO
Wednesday ,
NovNovember 19 , 2025

Singles Creating Community Dinner
Wednesday, Nov 19th 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Join the Singles Creating Community group for a dinner gathering.
Register Now

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Wednesday ,
NovNovember 19 , 2025

Midrasha
Wednesday, Nov 19th 6:15 pm to 9:00 pm
Midrasha Hebrew High School
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Wednesday ,
NovNovember 19 , 2025

Men's Club Book Group
Wednesday, Nov 19th 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
The Men's Club Book Group will gather to discuss "The Names" a novel by Florence Knapp.
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Thursday ,
NovNovember 20 , 2025

Play Mahjong with Sisterhood
Thursday, Nov 20th 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Join Sisterhood for a fun afternoon of Mahjong!
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Thursday ,
NovNovember 20 , 2025

Families with Young Children Friendsgiving Potluck and Challah-Making Extravaganza!
Thursday, Nov 20th 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Gather with your friends for an unforgettable Friendsgiving potluck celebration and challah-making workshop!
Register Now

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Friday ,
NovNovember 21 , 2025

Pre-Shabbat Nosh
Friday, Nov 21st 5:15 pm to 6:00 pm
Please join us for a light nosh before services.
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Sunday ,
NovNovember 23 , 2025

Judaica Shop Open
Sunday, Nov 23rd 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Temple Beth El Sisterhood runs our Judaica shop, the only dedicated Judaica shop in Madison. Stock up on Hanukkah, Shabbat, and other Judaica items.
MORE INFO
Sunday ,
NovNovember 23 , 2025

Parent/Guardian Koffee Kibbitz
Sunday, Nov 23rd 9:30 am to 10:30 am
Gather at Café Panim with other parents/guardians from your student's grade and get to know each other while your students are in Religious School.
MORE INFO
Wednesday ,
NovNovember 26 , 2025

Office Closes at 12:00 pm
Wednesday, Nov 26th 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm

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Thursday ,
NovNovember 27 , 2025

Office Closed for Thanksgiving
Thursday, Nov 27th (All day)

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Friday ,
NovNovember 28 , 2025

Pre-Shabbat Nosh
Friday, Nov 28th 5:15 pm to 6:00 pm
Please join us for a light nosh before services.
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Tuesday ,
DecDecember 2 , 2025

Contemplative Writing Workshop
Tuesday, Dec 2nd 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Amelie Davidson will lead a small group on a contemplative writing journey.
Register Now

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Wednesday ,
DecDecember 3 , 2025

Judaica Shop Open
Wednesday, Dec 3rd 4:00 pm to 6:15 pm
Temple Beth El Sisterhood runs our Judaica shop, the only dedicated Judaica shop in Madison. Stock up on Hanukkah, Shabbat, and other Judaica items.
MORE INFO
Wednesday ,
DecDecember 3 , 2025

Midrasha
Wednesday, Dec 3rd 6:15 pm to 9:00 pm
Midrasha Hebrew High School
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Thursday ,
DecDecember 4 , 2025

House Committee Meeting
Thursday, Dec 4th 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

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Thursday ,
DecDecember 4 , 2025

Social Action Committee Meeting
Thursday, Dec 4th 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Social Action Committee meetings are held at 7:00 pm on the first Thursday of most months at Temple Beth El.
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Thursday ,
DecDecember 4 , 2025

Sisterhood Exec Committee Meeting
Thursday, Dec 4th 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

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Friday ,
DecDecember 5 , 2025

Singles Creating Community Coffee Klatch
Friday, Dec 5th 9:00 am to 10:30 am
Please join the Singles Creating Community group for breakfast.
Register Now

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Friday ,
DecDecember 5 , 2025

Likrat Shabbat Family Dinner
Friday, Dec 5th 5:15 pm to 6:00 pm
Join us for a light dinner preceding our Likrat Shabbat (Welcoming Shabbat) service on the first Friday of the month, November–May. Dinner is $18 per family unit/household. Please note: there is not a special Likrat Shabbat service on the first Friday in January.
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Friday ,
DecDecember 5 , 2025

Pre-Shabbat Nosh
Friday, Dec 5th 5:15 pm to 6:00 pm
Please join us for a light nosh before services.
MORE INFO
Sunday ,
DecDecember 7 , 2025

TBE Bakers
Sunday, Dec 7th 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Join us for Sunday sessions where we will create community while baking delicious treats to share with the congregation at upcoming Temple Beth El events.
MORE INFO
Sunday ,
DecDecember 7 , 2025

Judaica Shop Open
Sunday, Dec 7th 9:15 am to 12:00 pm
Temple Beth El Sisterhood runs our Judaica shop, the only dedicated Judaica shop in Madison. Stock up on Hanukkah, Shabbat, and other Judaica items.
MORE INFO
Sunday ,
DecDecember 7 , 2025

Sunday School for Adults
Sunday, Dec 7th 9:30 am to 10:30 am
This monthly course is an opportunity for adults who missed having a formal Jewish education, or would like a refresher, to have a parallel learning experience while their students are in Religious School.
MORE INFO
Sunday ,
DecDecember 7 , 2025

Parent/Guardian Koffee Kibbitz
Sunday, Dec 7th 9:30 am to 10:30 am
Gather at Café Panim with other parents/guardians from your student's grade and get to know each other while your students are in Religious School.
MORE INFO
Sunday ,
DecDecember 7 , 2025

Community Knesset
Sunday, Dec 7th 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Leaders of our community, including the Board of Trustees, committee and task force chairs, and their staff liaisons, are invited to participate in the Community Knesset.
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Sunday ,
DecDecember 7 , 2025

MuTTY Goes to Geeks Mania
Sunday, Dec 7th 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Join MuTTY at Geeks Mania, a video game arcade filled with countless different options.
Register Now

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Tuesday ,
DecDecember 9 , 2025

Board Meeting
Tuesday, Dec 9th 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm

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Wednesday ,
DecDecember 10 , 2025

Midrasha
Wednesday, Dec 10th 6:15 pm to 9:00 pm
Midrasha Hebrew High School
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Thursday ,
DecDecember 11 , 2025

ROMEO (Retired Old Men Eating Out)
Thursday, Dec 11th 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

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Thursday ,
DecDecember 11 , 2025

Congregational Book Club
Thursday, Dec 11th 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Join us in reading and discussion of challenging, but accessible, contemporary Jewish writings.
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Thursday ,
DecDecember 11 , 2025

Membership Renewal Information Session
Thursday, Dec 11th 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Join Stefanie Kushner, executive director, on Zoom to learn about your membership renewal.
Register Now

MORE INFO
Friday ,
DecDecember 12 , 2025

Pre-Shabbat Nosh
Friday, Dec 12th 5:15 pm to 6:00 pm
Please join us for a light nosh before services.
MORE INFO
Sunday ,
DecDecember 14 , 2025

Judaica Shop Open
Sunday, Dec 14th 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Temple Beth El Sisterhood runs our Judaica shop, the only dedicated Judaica shop in Madison. Stock up on Hanukkah, Shabbat, and other Judaica items.
MORE INFO
Sunday ,
DecDecember 14 , 2025

Parent/Guardian Koffee Kibbitz
Sunday, Dec 14th 9:30 am to 10:30 am
Gather at Café Panim with other parents/guardians from your student's grade and get to know each other while your students are in Religious School.
MORE INFO
Sunday ,
DecDecember 14 , 2025

A Whole Latke Fun: Hanukkah Party for Families with Young Kids
Sunday, Dec 14th 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Enjoy a delicious latke and pasta bar, a festive song session, a Hanukkah story, dreidel spinning, cookie decorating, Hanukkah-themed crafts, and so much more to usher in the first night of Hanukkah together. Event is brought to you by Temple Beth El Families with Young Children, Jewish Federation of Madison and their PJ Library Community.
Register Now

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Sunday ,
DecDecember 14 , 2025

MaTTY Hanukkah Party
Sunday, Dec 14th 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

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Monday ,
DecDecember 15 , 2025

Judaica Shop Open
Monday, Dec 15th 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Temple Beth El Sisterhood runs our Judaica shop, the only dedicated Judaica shop in Madison. Stock up on Hanukkah, Shabbat, and other Judaica items.
MORE INFO
Monday ,
DecDecember 15 , 2025

Fiber Arts Schmooze
Monday, Dec 15th 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Join friends at TBE for an evening of knitting, crocheting, stitching, and friendship!
MORE INFO
Tuesday ,
DecDecember 16 , 2025

Judaica Shop Open
Tuesday, Dec 16th 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Temple Beth El Sisterhood runs our Judaica shop, the only dedicated Judaica shop in Madison. Stock up on Hanukkah, Shabbat, and other Judaica items.
MORE INFO
Tuesday ,
DecDecember 16 , 2025

Serve Supper at the Catholic Multicultural Center
Tuesday, Dec 16th 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Join fellow TBE volunteers on the third Tuesday of each month to help serve dinner and clean up.
MORE INFO
Tuesday ,
DecDecember 16 , 2025

MJND (20s and 30s) Latke Making Party
Tuesday, Dec 16th 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm
MJND (20s and 30s) will be frying latkes in the TBE kitchen using mixtures that guests bring themselves.
Register Now

MORE INFO
Tuesday ,
DecDecember 16 , 2025

Environment and Climate Change Action Team Meeting
Tuesday, Dec 16th 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Join our action team as we make plans to engage the congregation in activities that raise awareness about environmental issues. We meet on Zoom.
MORE INFO
Wednesday ,
DecDecember 17 , 2025

Sisterhood "Monthly Mingle" Lunch
Wednesday, Dec 17th 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Join us for a Sisterhood lunch!
MORE INFO
Wednesday ,
DecDecember 17 , 2025

Midrasha
Wednesday, Dec 17th 6:15 pm to 9:00 pm
Midrasha Hebrew High School
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Thursday ,
DecDecember 18 , 2025

Hanukkah Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Jon Prosnit
Thursday, Dec 18th 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Please join Rabbi Prosnit for lunch and discussion. Learners of all backgrounds are welcome. Bring your own lunch—we’ll supply the drinks.
Register Now

MORE INFO
Thursday ,
DecDecember 18 , 2025

Play Mahjong with Sisterhood
Thursday, Dec 18th 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Join Sisterhood for a fun afternoon of Mahjong!
MORE INFO
Friday ,
DecDecember 19 , 2025

Pre-Shabbat Nosh
Friday, Dec 19th 5:15 pm to 6:00 pm
Please join us for a light nosh before services.
MORE INFO
Friday ,
DecDecember 19 , 2025

Shabbat Hanukkah Dinner
Friday, Dec 19th 7:15 pm to 8:30 pm
Join us as we welcome Shabbat and Hanukkah together and enjoy a tasty Chinese food dinner. Bring your hanukkiyah and seven candles to light together.
Register Now

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Wednesday ,
DecDecember 24 , 2025

Office Closes at 12:00 pm
Wednesday, Dec 24th 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm

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Thursday ,
DecDecember 25 , 2025

Office Closed
Thursday, Dec 25th (All day)

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Friday ,
DecDecember 26 , 2025

Pre-Shabbat Nosh
Friday, Dec 26th 5:15 pm to 6:00 pm
Please join us for a light nosh before services.
MORE INFO
Wednesday ,
DecDecember 31 , 2025

Office Closes at 12:00 pm
Wednesday, Dec 31st 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm

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Thursday ,
JanJanuary 1 , 2026

Office Closed for New Year's Day
Thursday, Jan 1st (All day)

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Sunday ,
JanJanuary 4 , 2026

Play Mahjong with Sisterhood
Sunday, Jan 4th 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Join Sisterhood for a fun afternoon of Mahjong!
Register Now

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Wednesday ,
JanJanuary 7 , 2026

Men's Club Book Group
Wednesday, Jan 7th 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
The Men's Club Book Group will meet via Zoom to discuss "21 Lessons for the 21st Century" by Yuval Noah Harari.
Register Now

MORE INFO
Thursday ,
JanJanuary 8 , 2026

Sisterhood "Monthly Mingle" Lunch
Thursday, Jan 8th 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Join us for a Sisterhood lunch!
MORE INFO
Thursday ,
JanJanuary 8 , 2026

Social Action Committee Meeting
Thursday, Jan 8th 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Social Action Committee meetings are held at 7:00 pm on the first Thursday of most months at Temple Beth El.
Register Now

MORE INFO
Friday ,
JanJanuary 9 , 2026

Singles Creating Community Coffee Klatch
Friday, Jan 9th 9:00 am to 11:00 am
Please join the Singles Creating Community group for breakfast.
MORE INFO
Saturday ,
JanJanuary 10 , 2026

Community Havdalah
Saturday, Jan 10th 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Let's create warmth on a cold winter night through a community Havdalah, a heartfelt and unifying experience that celebrates the close of Shabbat and the beginning of a new week.
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Tuesday ,
JanJanuary 13 , 2026

Board Meeting
Tuesday, Jan 13th 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm

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Thursday ,
JanJanuary 15 , 2026

Play Mahjong with Sisterhood
Thursday, Jan 15th 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm
Join Sisterhood for a fun afternoon of Mahjong!
MORE INFO
Friday ,
JanJanuary 16 , 2026

ROMEO (Retired Old Men Eating Out)
Friday, Jan 16th 11:45 am to 2:00 pm

Register Now

MORE INFO
Sunday ,
JanJanuary 18 , 2026

Shaping a Stronger City: Downtown Madison, Inc.'s Vision for Equity, Growth, and Community
Sunday, Jan 18th 9:30 am to 11:30 am
This year’s Men’s Club & Sisterhood joint event focuses on the future of our vibrant and thriving downtown. It’s sure to be an engaging and enlightening conversation about what Downtown Madison, Inc. is focused on in the years to come as our city continues to grow.
Register Now

MORE INFO
Monday ,
JanJanuary 19 , 2026

Fiber Arts Schmooze
Monday, Jan 19th 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Join friends at TBE for an evening of knitting, crocheting, stitching, and friendship!
MORE INFO

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04/28/2022 11:59:23 AM

by Erica Serlin

04/28/2022 11:51:03 AM

by Betsy Abramson

04/28/2022 11:35:46 AM

04/28/2022 11:18:15 AM

by Marta Karlov and Aleeza Hoffert

03/29/2022 02:47:34 PM

03/29/2022 12:12:27 PM

03/29/2022 12:09:46 PM

By the Kesher Israel Committee

03/21/2022 08:35:01 AM

by the TBE Environment and Climate Change and Action Team

03/08/2022 11:56:04 AM

Kathy Mazur

03/08/2022 10:12:08 AM

03/07/2022 03:40:52 PM

03/07/2022 03:34:09 PM

03/03/2022 10:01:01 AM

03/02/2022 11:23:15 AM

03/02/2022 11:10:55 AM

by Sue Levy

03/02/2022 10:59:20 AM

03/02/2022 10:49:26 AM

03/02/2022 10:29:09 AM

03/02/2022 09:37:07 AM

by Cathy Rotter

03/01/2022 04:43:45 PM

03/01/2022 04:36:42 PM

03/01/2022 03:53:11 PM

by Sherie Sondel and Aleeza Hoffert

03/01/2022 03:42:03 PM

03/01/2022 02:54:45 PM

by Lynn Silverman

03/01/2022 02:36:46 PM

02/28/2022 10:42:48 AM

02/28/2022 10:42:19 AM

02/28/2022 10:40:48 AM

02/28/2022 10:38:48 AM

02/28/2022 10:36:34 AM

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