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Year in Review 2023–24: Beit T'filah —House of Worship

07/16/2024 02:54:58 PM

Jul16

As a beit t’filah, a house of worship, we explore and nurture our spiritual needs, inspired as we gather for worship and life-cycle events. 

During the past year, we enjoyed a musical weekend filled with ruach (spirit) with guest Dan Nichols, hosted the community Purim carnival, told “Taylor’s Version” of the Esther story in our Purim shpiel, welcomed our Religious School students to lead us in prayers during our monthly Likrat Shabbat (Welcoming Shabbat) worship during the school year, and gathered for a variety of special Shabbat services.   

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

Worship, Holidays, and Special Events

We started the 2023–24 programming year with Shabbat Across Madison, welcoming Shabbat with food and community outdoors in parks across the city on the first Fridays of June, July, August, and September 2023.

We welcomed over 350 people through our doors at times during the High Holy Days of 5784. We were thankful for ability to celebrate the new year together in person and online. We had wonderful weather for all of our Sukkot events, and a highlight was welcoming our newest members at our New Member Sukkah Schmooze.

We loved seeing our Religious School students lead us in prayers at Likrat Shabbat at the first Friday of each month when school was in session.

Thank you to our choir for leading us in song the second Friday of each month and our musicians for sharing their talents at Shabbat Midor Lador.

Our Membership Shabbat, Sisterhood Shabbat, Men’s Club Shabbat, and Shabbat dinner and program honoring our volunteers gave the community the opportunity to welcome Shabbat with speakers and music that fit the theme.

This year’s Taylor Swift–themed Purim shpiel was a showstopper!

Music Committee 

The music committee resumed meeting on a regular basis this past year. We had not met regularly since well before COVID times. We now have a small (but mighty) group of committee members who meet monthly. This year we brought Dan Nichols to TBE for a weekend of worship and music. Unfortunately, a winter storm canceled the in-person Shabbat service in which Dan was involved; however, he participated in our online Shabbat worship and then performed a wonderful interactive concert on Saturday night as well as other gatherings with the TBE choir, young families, and song leaders. The Dan Nichols weekend was well attended and enthusiastically enjoyed, in spite of the weather. We are actively recruiting new members to our committee.

April 30, 2025 2 Iyar 5785