Men's Club
The mission of the Beth El Temple Men’s Club is to involve Temple men in all aspects of Jewish life while serving the entire Beth El community through various programs and charitable endeavors. An additional mission for the past year was to help improve the technology of the religious school through fundraising to purchase new equipment.
Monthly breakfast programs have included:
- Steve Bunin, ESPN sports anchor
- Chris Pasquini, Krav Maga (Israeli martial arts)
- Doug Schwartz, Director of Qunnipiac University Poll
- Rabbi Rosen on leading a more spiritual life
- Dr. Kenneth Miller, hematologist and oncologist – cancer survivorship
- Seymour Baer, observant Jew in navy and religious school instructor
- Dr. Wayne Carver, CT’s Chief Medical Examiner
- Lew Rome, attorney, politician, and UConn supporter
The Men’s Club has sponsored or co-sponsored many other activities:
- Wine Tasting Social raising over $2,300 for religious school technology
- NYC bus trip to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty
- World Wide Teffilin Wrap program
- Yom HaShoah Yellow Candle program
- Fun and Games for Grown-ups social
- Annual Distinguished Service Award Dinner honoring Bruce Shein and Sharon Levine-Shein
- Keeper of the Flame luncheon in Orange, CT honoring Mort Shechtman
- Breakfast program with Jill Weinberger, author of “Vienna Voices”
- Provided and served wine at the temple Purim party; cooked for the Purim Carnival
- Food for the Temple wide Mitzvah Day
- PEREK breakfast sponsor
- Adult bowling social
As we’ve done in recent years,
the Men’s Club provided an annual donation to Camp Ramah Scholarship
fund. We continue to co-sponsor with Sisterhood to provide Kiddish
cups to B’nai Mitzvah. We assisted in the purchase of an LCD
projector for Yachad – a community educational program for Jewish
teens. Men’s Club members participated as ushers for the High
Holidays. We’ve attended meetings with other chapters of the
Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs (FJMC). Board member Phil Schulz
is currently Secretary of the CT Valley Region of the FJMC.
We believe that all of our
activities and programs have furthered our mission of involving Temple
men in all aspects of Jewish life while serving the entire Beth El community.
Men’s Club officers for 2007 – 2008 are:
- President - Dave Diamond
- VP, Membership - Ira Samberg
- VP, Programming - Jeff Weiss
- Secretary - Jacob Kovel
- Treasurer - Ed Tepper
- Assistant Treasurer - Bruce Shein