K'hilah Kedoshah
Members of our sacred community reach out to support and nurture one another
Tikkun Olam
When we take even the smallest of steps to repair the world, we are helping to complete God’s work
Avodah
Observing tradition in a relevant and meaningful way
Kavanah v’Ahavah
Our Congregational Shema: Inspire through purpose. Be known by love.
Torah
Torah, the foundation of our faith, is taught with joy and enthusiasm
Beit T'filah
Beth-El has served as a house of prayer for progressive Judaism since 1928

During this unprecedented time, many temple programs have moved online to connect our community virtually. Our TBE family has come together on Facebook Live, YouTube and Zoom to gather for prayer, meetings, master classes and more.

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Support Our Holy Community and Our Annual Fund Through a Donation to the Eternal Light Initiative: Our Annual Campaign here.

WELCOME

Temple Beth-El is home to more than 2,300 men, women and children. It is a place where people come to pray, celebrate and learn. In our holy community, minds are open, friends are made, tradition is honored and change is welcome. It’s a place of solace and sanctuary, reflection and rejoicing, song and study. As we seek to meet the spiritual and educational needs of a diverse Jewish community in a caring, innovative Reform temple, we encourage participation and respect individual choices. We welcome you to learn more about us.

HOT LINKS INTO OUR COMMUNITY

This Week at Beth-El

Wed 03

Mourner’s Support Group

We are restarting our weekly Zoom

Mar 03 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Wed 03

Silent Meditation

Mar 03 @ 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Wed 03

Adult Ed: Hebrew for Prayer Reading and Understanding

Join educator David Woolfe on Wednesdays

Mar 03 @ 7:00 pm - 7:45 pm

Upcoming Events

Plan an Event at TBE

To plan a virtual event, please complete this form.

To plan an event at Temple Beth-El, please complete this form.

Remote Programming for the Week

Find a list of TBE’s extensive offerings here.

Morning Minyan

Mondays and Thursdays | 7:15 a.m.

Rabbi Meir Feldman will hold Morning Minyan on Mondays and Thursdays at 7:15 a.m., with Torah reading at about 7:40 a.m. and Kaddish at around 8:10 a.m.

Adult Ed: Introduction to Hebrew Conversation
Mondays, March 1, 8 and 15 | 8 p.m
Learn basic Hebrew vocabulary and conversation with educator David Woolfe on Zoom.

TriBE Quarantine Affinity Group

Tuesdays

As we face the new reality of our changing world, join others in the TBE community facing the same challenges in our new TriBE Quarantine Affinity group.

• Quarantining Alone every other Tuesday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Mourner’s Support Group

Wednesdays | 10 to 11 a.m.

Join our weekly Zoom grief support group for TBE members who lost a loved one in recent months. Our Mourner’s Support Group began last spring as a way to pierce some of the isolation for those in mourning during the pandemic. Each meeting starts with a check in; then we share our experiences of the past week. Meetings close with the study of a brief passage related to grief and healing. No extended commitment is necessary to participate; come for a single session or join us each week. To receive the Zoom link, RSVP to Dafna Weintraub at dweintraub@tbegreatneck.org or 516-487-0900, ext. 116.

Adult Ed: Hebrew for Prayer Reading and Understanding
Wednesdays, March 3, 10 and 17 | 7 p.m.

Join educator David Woolfe for this class that will help students apply Hebrew proficiency to prayer participation and understanding on Zoom.

Watch TBE’s Erev Shabbat Services on TV!

Fridays | 6:30 p.m.

Know a congregant who doesn’t have access to a computer? A previously recorded Erev Shabbat service can be viewed on NSTV on Optimum Channel 20 (in Great Neck and Manhasset) and on Verizon Fios Channel 37 (in Nassau County).

Erev Shabbat Services

Fridays | 7 p.m.

Erev Shabbat Services are held on Fridays at 7 p.m. on Zoom, Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/TBEGreatNeck/ and livestreamed on YouTube at https://tinyurl.com/TBELivestream.

• To have the name of a loved one read, add it at https://tinyurl.com/YahrzeitRead.
• To make a tribute, go to https://tinyurl.com/TBETribute.
• Follow along (for free) on another device with a digital prayer book at https://tinyurl.com/MishkanT-filah or email Dafna at dweintraub@tbegreatneck.org to have a siddur delivered to your home by a TBE congregant.

• Send us photos and a sentence expressing your simchas, celebrations and good news for Modim Moments, so we can share hoda’ah(gratitude) with our TBE family each month during the Amidah. Slideshows will be shown during Erev Shabbat Services and focus on a monthly theme on Fridays, March 5 (immigration), April 2 (vaccinations), May 7 (moms), and June 4 (dads). Email photos with “Modim Moments” in the subject line by the Wednesday prior to each Modim Moment Friday to Jaqui Wadsworth at jwadsworth@tbegreatneck.org.

• After services, join the Temple Beth-El Erev Shabbat Oneg every Friday from 8 to 9:30 p.m. in the same Zoom Room.

Torah Study

Saturdays | 9 a.m.

Torah Study will begin at 9 a.m.

Shabbat Morning Service

Saturdays | 10:30 a.m.

Come for a lay-led Shabbat Morning Service at 10:30 a.m. and stay for a short chat. Bring your own challah and grape juice or wine and join in on Zoom.

Havdalah Services

Saturday Evenings | Sunset

Havdalah Services will begin at sunset (March 6 at 7:15 p.m., March 13 at 7 p.m. with Comedy Night at 7:15 p.m., March 20 at 8:30 p.m., March 27 at 8:30 p.m. on Erev Pesach, April 3 at 8:45 p.m. with Yizkor, April 10 at 8:45 p.m., April 17 at 8:45 p.m., April 24 at 8:45 p.m., May 1 at 9:15 p.m., May 8 at 9:15 p.m.) on Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/TBEGreatNeck/.

Book Discussion: The Aleppo Codex by Matti Friedman

Thursday, March 11 | 8 p.m.

Join the combined Brotherhood/Sisterhood book discussion of The Aleppo Codex by Matti Friedman, as a prelude to the author’s discussion at our Special Shabbat service on Saturday, March 13. The journalist’s true-life detective story traces how this precious manuscript was smuggled from its hiding place in Syria into the newly founded State of Israel. It involves grizzled secret agents, pious clergymen, shrewd antiquities collectors and highly placed national figures who, as it turns out, would do anything to get their hands on an ancient decaying book. To help support local indie bookstores across the country, purchase the book here. The book is also available on Kindle for $1.99, and Arlene Nevens will share hard copies from Nassau County libraries. If you’re interested in borrowing one of these copies, email Arlene at asnevens@yahoo.com with “Book Request” in the subject. She will add you to the list and notify you when you can pick up the book. Each copy will be quarantined before going to the next person. Be part of the discussion on Zoom.

Special Shabbat with Matti Friedman, Author of The Aleppo Codex

Saturday, March 13 | 10 a.m.

Matti Friedman, a journalist and contributor to the New York Times Op-Ed Section, will discuss his award-winning book The Aleppo Codex, an investigation into the strange fate of an ancient Bible manuscript.

He is also the author of Pumpkinflowers: A Soldier’s Story of a Forgotten War, which was chosen as a New York Times’ Notable Book and as Amazon’s 10 best books of the year and won numerous awards. Spies of No Country, the story of Israel’s first intelligence agents in 1948, received the 2018 Natan Book Award.

A former Associated Press correspondent, his work has taken him from Israel to Lebanon, Morocco, Moscow, the Caucasus and Washington, DC. His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post and Tablet Magazine, among others. He was born in Toronto and lives in Jerusalem with his family.

TBE Comedy for a Cause

Saturday, March 13 | 7 p.m.: Havdalah; 7:20 p.m.: Wine Tasting; 8:20 p.m.: Showtime

Get ready for a night of laughter and support our social action and social service programs at TBE’s annual Comedy Night, featuring comedian Dan Naturman, from America’s Got Talent, and HBO’s Johnny Lampert.

Comedy Night Packages

$36 REGULAR Admission: 1 Zoom login for your household
$72 BRONZE Sponsor: includes 1 Zoom login and onscreen name recognition with Bronze Sponsor group
$136 SILVER Sponsor: includes 1 Zoom login and onscreen individual name recognition with your photo
$360 GOLD Sponsor: includes SILVER package plus 4 bottles of wine (see below) and a shout out by our emcee
$500 PLATINUM Sponsor: includes GOLD package with wine, plus dinner for 2 from LOLA from special menu

Wine: $50+ for 4 bottles of wine to enjoy during our wine tasting with experts from Sip & Say Craft Wine & Spirits. Deadline for wine package order is March 8.

Dinner: Enjoy LOLA’s $55 prix fixe dinner. Order directly from LOLA at 516-466-5666, by 3/10.

Winner: Participate in our 50/50 raffle. It’s a chance to win while supporting our important community initiatives.

Our featured comedian began performing stand-up comedy several years ago—believe it or not—in law school. After graduation, he decided to devote himself to stand-up full time. He discovered that comedy was his true passion. Besides, he says his grades were bad and nobody would hire him. Dan’s charming combination of self-deprecation and outright grouchiness has audiences howling from coast to coast, earning him four appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, Conan, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Tonight Show and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. He also had his own Comedy Central Presents… special and a starring run on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Dan is known to his fans as the “real winner” of NBC’s Last Comic Standing 2a few years back, where he was the favorite of celebrity judges Drew Carey and Brett Butler. Recently, he had a recurring role on HBO’s Crashing, multiple appearances on Comedy Central’s This Week at The Comedy Cellarand made a splash in 2020 on America’s Got Talent—The Champions,where he received a standing ovation from the adoring crowd in one of the most talked-about sets of the season. Warm up your funny bone by watching Dan at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-sWBZSsT3s.

Purchase tickets at www.TBEComedy.com. For more information, call the main office 516-487-0900.

TBE Mitzvah Day
Sunday, March 14 | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Join us for an incredible day of giving back, and participate in any—or all—of these activities. Mitzvah Day will begin in the Temple Beth-El parking lot, where we will receive words of wisdom and blessings from Rabbis Meir and Tara Feldman and Cantor Adam before departing to fulfill our mitzvah(ot)of the day.

• Donate Blood | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

New York Blood Center, one of the largest community-based, nonprofit blood collection and distribution organizations in the United States, will be at TBE. Donors must be at least 17 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds. Sign up for a time slotat https://donate.nybc.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/289285.

• Trail Restoration at Whitney Pond Park | 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Spend time outdoors with your TBE friends and make a difference in our community by helping restore the nature trail at Whitney Pond Park. Volunteers may come for all or part of the three-hour experience. This is a great option for younger children, individuals and families of all ages. Sign up at https://tbegn.wufoo.com/forms/mftk8ua1trqyzs/.

• Great-Full Food Packing | 9 to 11 a.m.

Volunteers can participate in our long-standing Great-Full program. At TBE, we’ll fill bags with food for the Interfaith Food Pantry at St. Aloysius RC Church. Packages will be distributed to families in the Great Neck community who are experiencing food insecurity. These bags will be particularly helpful during the upcoming spring break. To participate, sign up at https://tbegn.wufoo.com/forms/m1diet2g1hcvl3s/.

• For more info, contact Jaqui Wadsworth, director of congregational engagement, at jwadsworth@tbegreatneck.org or 516-487-0900, ext. 108.

Sisterhood Passover Experience with Rabbi Tara

Wednesday, March 31 | 7:30 p.m. (7:15 p.m. to Schmooze)

To celebrate Passover this year, we will embrace the strength and joy of Miriam, who not only danced at the shores of the Red Sea but found life-sustaining water for our people in our wilderness travels. The isolation of pandemic living can feel a bit like a wilderness—especially during a holiday. We will tap into the living waters of family, memory, community and sisterhood, as we share photographs from past Passover celebrations.

Please submit one or two photographs from previous Passover festivities (or any other special holiday moment), along with a sentence or two describing the submitted photos. Come prepared to share a story of a woman in your own family (or personal) history who has guided and informed your journey. Email photos and descriptions to rabbitara@gmail.com. An email with RSVP info will follow.

Annual Great Neck Rabbinic Dialogue

April 18 | 10.30 a.m.

Rabbis Meir and Tara Feldman of Temple Beth-El, Rabbi Howard Stecker of Temple Israel and Rabbi Dale Polakoff of Great Neck Synagogue will once again discuss an issue of importance to the community. This event was organized by Temple Beth-El’s Brotherhood and cosponsored by the Men’s Clubs of Great Neck Synagogue and Temple Israel.

Volunteer Recognition Shabbat

Friday, May 14 | 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Join us during Shabbat Services on Friday, May 14, as we honor our incredible TBE volunteers. For more information, contact Jaqui at jwadsworth@tbegreatneck.org.

Plan an Event at TBE

To plan a virtual event, please complete this form.

To plan an event at Temple Beth-El, please complete this form.

Gershwind Family Religious School

Welcome to the Gershwind Family Religious School.

Our 2019–2020 Religious School program offers:

Grade K-6: Welcome to Tosefet!

Tosefet means “more” in Hebrew. Tosefet builds on the success of Merkaz Ivrit. We know that we can consistently show stronger decoding skills, prayer proficiency, Hebrew skills, and synagogue literacy and connections with a second day of classes.

Tosefet offers more conversational Hebrew, more learning of Hebrew songs, playing more Hebrew games, gaining more prayer proficiency, gaining more leadership experience, creating personal relationships with our rabbis and cantor, and engaging with me in the classroom.

As in the past, school is held every Tuesday from 4 to 6:15 p.m. Families may choose their second day, Monday or Thursday. The Monday or Thursday session is held from 4 to 6 p.m. Attending the full two-hour second day program will offer maximum results. We understand that due to scheduling and transportation the two hours on a second day may be a challenge, so families may choose to only attend one hour if needed. Be in touch to discuss your needs, we will do our best for you!

Tosefet is the K-6 program of the Gershwind Family Religious School at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck

Tuesdays, 4 to 6:15 p.m.

Mondays or Thursdays, 4 to 6 p.m.

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Hebrew High Students

7th Grade

Classes are held on Tuesdays from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m. and include a pizza dinner.

Instructors: David Woolfe and Morah Orit

The 7th grade will incorporate a 10-10-10 structure. The first ten sessions of the year will be devoted to the Jewish Teen Funders Network philanthropy curriculum. The second ten sessions of the year will be focused on devising individual philanthropic/mitzvah projects and the final ten sessions will be a Biblical exploration of the mitzvah of giving—of oneself, of one’s wealth and of one’s time.

Hebrew and prayer proficiency will continue to be a significant part of the 7th grade year.
The 7th grade will also be part of the High School Rosh Chodesh programming.

8th to 12th Grade

Classes are held from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Grades 8 & 9

Rabbi Muhlbaum is delighted to be teaching 8th and 9th grade again this year. In her class, students will use a wide range of learning modalities, like debate, mixed media arts, persuasive speaking, and creative writing. They’ll explore different issues and build their Jewish literacy. With Rabbi Muhlbaum, they’ll strengthen their bonds with each other and the Jewish people.

10th Grade: Confirmation

Rabbi Tara creates the opportunity for our Confirmation class to explore how Jewish themes and identity enriches this pivotal year in their lives. The year culminates in a beautiful Confirmation Service at Shavuot.

11th Grade

Our 11th graders will be engaged in the Jewish Teen Funders Network philanthropy curriculum. In addition to exploring what philanthropy means and, specifically, what Jewish philanthropy means we will focus on the skill of fundraising to support philanthropic efforts. (Part of the curriculum requires our students to explore and research organizations to which they will give a substantial charitable gift.)

12th Grade

Our Graduating seniors will have the opportunity to truly “wrestle” with the questions and content that Judaism presents. Rabbi Meir will guide these explorations with our students and looks forward to greeting them on our bimah as graduates!

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Makom-TBE Special-Needs Program

Classes are held on Mondays from 4 to 6 p.m.
As Temple Beth-El is committed to creating an inclusive community, Makom is a program for students who have special needs or require accommodations beyond a typical classroom setting. We welcome you to contact us for more information.

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For questions, more info or to register, call 516-487-0900 or email David Woolfe, Religious School Director, at

dwoolfe@tbegreatneck.org or Joy Allen, Religious School Administrator, at jallen@tbegreatneck.org.
Live Streaming of Services
Gift Membership Program

We want to welcome you! Temple Beth -El has been a pillar of the Great Neck community for the past 90 years. In recognition of this anniversary, we invite you to share in the richness, the warmth and the community of our Temple Beth-El family by becoming a member with our Gift Membership Program. Learn more about it here and check your eligibility or call us directly at 516-487-0900.
Great-Full, Social Action at TBE

Great-Full is Temple Beth-El’s new Social Action program. Its mission is to feed, clothe and support all of Great Neck so that our neighbors are never without basic human needs. We offer monthly meal preparation programs for those in need. Want to get involved? Donate Online, call or email us to get involved in this initiative or for access to our resources for you or someone you know.
Jewish Yoga School

For online registration, click here.

Watch as Rabbi Tara Feldman and Registered Yoga Teacher Sharon Epstein describe the meaningful connections between prayer, Torah and Yoga. The Jewish Yoga School at Temple Beth-El offers weekly classes in addition to selective Shabbat Morning Yoga Prayer.

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K'hilah Kedoshah

Tikkun Olam

Avodah

Kavanah v’Ahavah

Torah

Beit T'filah

WELCOME

HOT LINKS INTO OUR COMMUNITY

This Week at Beth-El

Mourner’s Support Group

Silent Meditation

Adult Ed: Hebrew for Prayer Reading and Understanding

From the Union For Reform Judaism / Reform Movement

This New Reform Haggadah Combines Liturgy, Poetry, and Art

Spiritual Audacity: Abraham Joshua Heschel's Story