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New Temple Community Contribution Program Coming Soon

06/24/2020 09:15:56 AM

Jun24

At TBE, many of our most meaningful experiences happen when we gather, worship, study, and work for social justice together. These four foundational values—embodied in the view of our congregation as a beit knesset (house of community), beit t’filah (house of worship), beit midrash (house of learning), and beit tzedek (house of justice)—support our synagogue life and bind us together as Jews.

Over the past few months we have seen these foundational values at work as we connected with each other in new ways. Soon, they will guide us on another new part of our journey.

After years of detailed analysis, and in line with many other Reform congregations, we are preparing to adopt a new system for membership contributions that will better reflect our authentic sense of community, while encouraging all of us to invest in the values that support and sustain a Reform Jewish presence in Madison. While the amount of your annual contribution might not change, we hope that the reasons for your financial support will better align with the values you most hold dear.

In preparation for this change, we encourage you to reflect on the many reasons for your involvement in Jewish life. Being a part of Temple Beth El involves embarking into a relationship of responsibility for each other. We engage with one another when we participate in family groups or study groups, when we strive to better our world through volunteer opportunities and to guide our congregation through leadership or committee involvement, and in the moments when we draw inspiration from worship alongside our fellow congregants.

All of these experiences represent our covenant with one another—our dedication to making Temple Beth El a place where we fulfill our Reform Jewish values. The new Temple Community Contribution program will encourage all of us to reflect on this covenant as we consider our annual contributions, both financial and nonfinancial.

More information about the Temple Community Contribution will be coming by mail in July, in preparation for the membership renewal process beginning in October. We will also hold information sessions in August and December.

April 19, 2024 11 Nisan 5784