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Endowment for Spiritual Leadership

Your Gift Will Transform Our Future

“Spiritual leaders are the face, voice, and moral compass of our congregation. It’s critical for Temple Beth El to have the resources to continue attracting the best spiritual leaders possible.”

—Marla and Larry Frank, who donated to the Endowment for Spiritual Leadership in honor of Sylvia (z''l) and Herb Frank

The Challenge

To ensure our long-term spiritual vitality, Temple leadership has taken the bold step of establishing the Temple Beth El Endowment for Spiritual Leadership.

This campaign is rooted in our tremendous admiration and appreciation for our clergy and a strong desire to continue to ensure outstanding spiritual leadership. The purpose of the endowment is to fully fund the costs of employing our spiritual leaders, which will provide financial stability for them and, in turn, for the congregation.

Our aspiration is an $8 million endowment to completely cover the costs of providing spiritual leadership for the foreseeable future. We are seeking the active and  generous participation of every member of the congregation to help reach this goal.

An Inspirational Start

The campaign was sparked by two donors contributing $3 million in transformational gifts, which inspired a small group of other generous members to provide $1.4 million.

These donors hope their gifts will galvanize the congregation to join them in raising the remaining amount to fully fund the endowment.

The Value of Our Spiritual Leaders

Our clergy are essential to reinforcing Temple Beth El’s foundational houses—worship, learning, social justice, and community—and to maintaining a Reform Jewish presence in Madison and the region.

  • Guiding our worship and holiday observances with prayer, music, and ritual, both traditional and innovative
  • Providing a spiritual framework for our social justice priorities and action
  • Sustaining us with pastoral care during times of illness, change, or loss
  • Celebrating momentous life momentous life events like weddings, baby namings, and b’nai mitzvah

Read more about the value of spiritual leadership.

The Impact of Endowment Giving



By securing funds for our future spiritual leaders, we will be building on the foundation laid by our successful prior endowment campaigns that established the Larry Kohn Chair of Jewish Learning Fund and the Yerusha Fund.

The total amount of the Endowment for Spiritual Leadership is invested and generates interest income to support the employment of our spiritual leaders. 

Endowment gifts are separate from the annual contributions you make to Temple Beth El, which cover operating expenses and fund our innovative programming.

An endowment provides sustaining income now and is a crucial resource for future generations.

Help Secure Our Future

The success of this campaign will ensure that Temple Beth El continues to thrive in the Madison community. Thanks to your contribution to the Endowment for Spiritual Leadership, the clergy of Temple Beth El will carry on the sacred work of enriching our Jewish experiences, and our vision will be lived well into the future.

Learn More

Read more about the Endowment for Spiritual Leadership.

To learn more about this opportunity or to make a gift, contact Stefanie Kushner, executive director, at 608-238-3123 or exec@tbemadison.org or complete the form below.

Please indicate below if we may include your name when we recognize our contributors to the Endowment for Spiritual Leadership.
Gifts may be made by check, by eCheck (electronic check) with no fee by logging in to your TBE account, or by credit card. Credit card payments will include a 3% processing fee that is assessed by credit card companies and charged to Temple Beth El.

 

Photography for the brochure generously donated by Loan Dang, Melissa Austin, and Eve Siegel. Photos on this web page generously donated by Loan Dang.
 

June 18, 2025 22 Sivan 5785