We are an evolving, Reform Jewish presence in GeneseeCounty that is inviting, vibrant and inclusive.
We are an open community committed to espousing and strengthening progressive Jewish values.
We manifest this through Jewish study, meaningful prayer, and socially responsible actions.
We look forward to welcoming you in person to this special place, TempleBeth El.
"How awesome is this place! This is none other than the House of God."
(B'reishit/Genesis 28:17)
Upcoming Events
May 24 - 7.30pm David Miller's Bar Mitzvah
May 26, Sunday Memorial day ceremony, 1pm
Great Lakes National Cemetery
May 31 - 7.30pm service Birthday/Anniversary Shabbat
June 1 - 5.00pm - Camy and Aidan Silverton's Bnei Mitzvah
June 7 - 7.30pm - Zoe McCoon speaking about Birthright
June 14 - 6.30pm - cookout organized by Brotherhood, 7.30pm
Father's Day Shabbat lead by members of the Brotherhood
Annual
Meeting, Tuesday June 18, 7pm at Temple.
June 21 - 7.30pm - Service - Gene Griffel presenting his
Jewish Journey
June 22 - 10.30am - Josh Griffel's Bar Mitzvah - all are
welcome
June 28 - 7.30pm Learners' Service, Birthday/Anniversary
Shabbat
June 29 - 10.30am - Max Stanley's Bar Mitzvah - all are
welcome
A view of our Temple - Inside
Services at Temple Beth El
Temple Beth El holds services on Erev Shabbat (Shabbat evening) at 7:30 pm at Temple Beth El. (Unless otherwise indicated)
Some services are led by our Ivriah (religious school) students.
Some services are held in Grand Blanc, a nearby suburb, and on those occasions, no service is held at Temple Beth El.Please consult the calendar information for updated details on forthcoming services.
With the exception of the High Holydays, Temple Beth El celebrates the Jewish festivals on the closest Shabbat to the festival.
Temple Beth El holds an Erev Rosh Hashanah service, a Rosh Hashanah morning service, a Kol Nidrei service, and all-day services on Yom Kippur.
In addition, on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur mornings, there is a short service for children.
Please contact the Temple office on 810 720 9494 for further details.
Temple Beth El
Office Hours
CLOSED ON WEDNESDAY
Monday 9:30 - 3:00PM
Tuesday 9:30 - 12:30PM
Thursday 9:30 - 3:00PM
Friday 9:00AM – 12:00PM
Please call (810) 720-9494
For more information
Rental Fees for Temple Beth El
The fees for renting areas at the Temple are as follows:
Social Hall: Members (& Jewish Organizations) $400.00 Non Members $600.00
Library: Members (& Jewish Organizations) $85.00 Non Members $125.00
Sanctuary only (Secular Events) Members (& Jewish Organizations) $50.00 Non Members $150.00 Please call the office (810) 720-9494
Food Basket
Do you ever flip your calendar to the next month and say, “oh no, it’s David/Esther’s birthday again already; what do I get him/her for he/she has everything!Sisterhood has just the answer…..why not let Sisterhood donate a food basket to the Woman’s Shelter at the YWCA in his/her honor rather than trying to wrack your brain for an idea.After all, David has enough ties and Esther has enough necklaces.The women and children in need of the food baskets never have too much; in fact they rarely have enough.They are victims of domestic violence and they have so many needs.They can always use items such as, but not limited to soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, food, etc.
Another wonderful thing about the food basket is that it can be used to honor anything such asbirthday, anniversary, job promotion, graduation,“just because” or it can also be used to memorialize a loved one.
In other words, for $25 you can give one gift that benefits more than one person and the honoree will see their name in Rabbi’s weekly e-mail AND in the bulletin.
So……….when you decide to perform this mitzvah,please call Nancy Epstein at 810-733-1129 or send her an e-mail at auntnanc123@yahoo.comShe is ready to take your order today!
Upcoming Events
MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY AT GREAT LAKES NATIONAL CEMETERY On Sunday May 26 at 1pm, Rabbi will be delivering the Invocation and Benediction at the Memorial Day Ceremony at: Great Lakes National Cemetery 4200 Belford Rd., Holly MI. The key note speaker will be Guy Stern, Director of the Institute of the Righteous and a decorated World War II veteran who was one of the "Ritchie Boys".
To celebrate Shavuot last week I joined with friends at a nearby community-wide tikkun leil Shavuot (an all night Torah study) hosted by our congregation, Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn. As in so many communities, it was a lively scene as people gathered together, listened, learned, questioned and challenged each other. This inclusive form of community gathering is a foundation of Reform Judaism and has served as a core element for the Campaign for Youth Engagement. Following the launch of the campaign at the Biennial in 2011, the URJ began reflecting on NFTY, URJ camps, Mitzvah Corps, Israel programs, and [...]
All eyes are on Grapevine, Texas today as the Boy Scouts of America begins the annual meeting of its National Council. Earlier this year the Boy Scouts of America announced that it would postpone a reconsideration of its policy prohibiting gay scouts and scout leaders until the meeting this week (see the letter that Rabbi Saperstein sent to the BSA in response to that decision). Today the 1,400 person National Council, including representatives from across the country, will vote on whether or not to lift this ban and make the organization a more inclusive one. In 2000 the Supreme Court [...]
By Rabbi Leon A. Morris There was a time, more than century and a half ago, when piyutim were seen largely as a kind of cultural burden to be cast aside in order to make the service shorter and more meaningful. Early liturgical reformers argued that the siddur and machzor had grown too lengthy and no longer inspired modern Jews. Piyutim – medieval poetic extensions of the traditional prayers, with allusions incomprehensible to the average congregant – were first on the chopping block. The irony, however, lies in the fact that the piyut was itself a sort of liturgical reform. While [...]
