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Overview of Services
For member access to religious services and classes, please click here.
Overview of Services
- Daily morning and evening minyan
- Friday evening services
- Saturday morning services
- Shabbat Mincha/Afternoon Service
- Shabbat activities for preschool children
- Services and activities for school-aged children
- Shabbat Live!
- Shabbat Under the Stars
- Congregational Study
- Special Adults Services
- Festival Services
- High Holiday Services
Service and Activity Offerings
Daily Morning and Evening Minyan
Morning and evening minyan is held in the Levine-Shein Chapel each weekday and also held via Zoom. The morning minyan is held at 7:00 a.m. Monday through Friday, and at 8:45 a.m. on Sunday. The evening minyan is held at 5:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
Each minyan includes Kaddish for those in mourning and those observing yahrzeit and incorporates some English readings. We read Torah on Monday and Thursday mornings, as well as on Rosh Chodesh (the new month). At each service we read a list of names of those loved ones for whom yahrzeit is being observed. Our minyans are very welcoming to those who are saying Kaddish or simply want to sit in the comfort of a prayer community.
What is appropriate dress for Shabbat?
Shabbat Mincha/Afternoon Service
We gather for Shabbat Mincha, the brief afternoon service, every Saturday at 12:15 pm. We read from the Torah, often honoring an upcoming Bar/Bat Mitzvah student or those with yahrzeit.
Services and Activities for Preschool Children
Parents and their youngest children are welcome to attend our main services on both Friday night and Shabbat morning. In addition, preschoolers and their parents can join us for Shababa on special Friday nights and Mazel Tots every Shabbat morning.
Shababa: Kids age five and under experience the joy of Shabbat with dancing and singing with Rabbi Zerin, followed by a free child-friendly dinner. In summer months, we run in the sprinkler after dinner.
Mazel Tots, 11:00 a.m.: Mazel Tots is the spot for kiddos on Shabbat mornings! Parent volunteers lead songs, prayers and stories. This program is geared for children from birth through kindergarten with their parents, but all are welcome. Please bring a small, kosher, nut-free snack for your child.
Services and Activities for School-Aged Children
Our weekly Shabbat Club makes it cool for kids @shul, starting at 11am each week. SC is for kids in grades 1-5. Songs, prayers, stories, games, snacks and more make Shabbat Club the place to be!
For more information about our children’s programs, please contact Rabbi Rachel Zerin at 860-233-9696.
Special Shabbat Services and Activities
Beth El offers different services and activities during the year:
Shabbat Under the Stars: an outdoor service preceded by a bar-b-que. Welcome Shabbat and schmooze with friends at this fun and festive evening, under the stars.
Special Adults’ Service: Once each month Beth El and our JCL (Jewish Association for Community Living) friends join together to explore the morning service through prayer and Torah, story, signs and songs. We follow with a kiddush luncheon.
Shabbat Yoga: Wear yoga clothes (yes, to synagogue!) and bring a mat if you have one. This all-levels class incorporates yoga poses and Hebrew prayers. Open to all (children too, if they can participate in a quiet yoga class). Check Temple Topics or the Shabbat Leaflet for dates.
Women’s Circle: Women join together in prayer, song, study and movement. Check Temple Topics or the Shabbat Leaflet for dates.
Festival Services
Our Festival offerings range from the traditional services on Sukkot, Passover and Shavuot, to Sukkah Dinner/Services, Simchat Torah Live! with a band and Hakafot, and even a Tikkun Ley'l Shavuot each year with guest speakers and teachers. In traditional manner, we read from Kohelet at Sukkot, Shir HaShirim at Pesach, and the Book of Ruth at Shavuot.
Purim keeps us smiling and dancing. Our annual carnival is always a big hit with our families. Two Megillah readings are held on Purim eve. Our Mishpacha program, for families with children (and anyone who wants to have a good time!), combines reading and shtick. Later in the evening, we offer a full Megillah reading for adults.
In a more reflective mood, Beth El participates in community-wide services for Tisha B'Av that generally take place at night with the reading of Eicha and during the day with a community Mincha service. We also participate in the community-wide Selichot service.
Evening minyan for festivals often begins at 6 p.m. Temple Topics will have specific minyan times for each festival.
What guidelines should you observe during the service?
Beth El Temple is Fragrance Free
We are happy you will be attending our special event at Beth el Temple. Inclusiveness is one of our core values at Beth El. We do everything we can to make our synagogue open and welcoming to all. In response to an increasing number of people who have mild to severe sensitivity to fragrances, we ask you to avoid wearing products with fragrances.
Tue, March 19 2024
9 Adar II 5784
Upcoming Events
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Wednesday ,
MarMarch 20 , 2024Community Program: The Story of Esther in a Post October 7th World
Wednesday, Mar 20th 6:00p to 7:30p
What do we do when our people’s lives hang in the balance? How do we stand up in the face of persecution? When problems loom large, what can I, a mere individual, do? These questions resound throughout the Book of Esther, just as they have resounded for many of us since October 7th. That is part of the reason why our tradition extended the recognition of the events commemorated in Megillat Esther beyond just one festive day to also include the Fast of Esther in the days before Purim, as a way of commemorating the more somber aspects of the Story of Esther and the ways in which Esther and others risked their lives for our people. Members of B'nai Tikvoh-Sholom and Beth El Temple are invited to join Rabbi Debra Cantor, Rabbi Jim Rosen, and Rabbi Rachel Zerin as we explore passages of the Megillah of Esther alongside writings and stories that have emerged from Israel since October 7th, in anticipation of the Fast of Esther. Mincha and Ma’ariv Services will take place at 5:30, followed by the program at 6:00 in the Levine-Shein Chapel at Beth El Temple and on Livestream. Refreshments to follow. Click in to RSVP. -
Thursday ,
MarMarch 21 , 2024Red Cross Blood Drive
Thursday, Mar 21st 1:00p to 6:00p
You can make a lasting impact with an amazing mitzvot by helping the American Red Cross! Please help us make a difference by donating blood at Beth El Temple. Please call 1.800.733.2767 or visit www.redcrossblood.org and enter: WeHa to schedule your appointment. Volunteers are also needed for registration and snacks, please call the office to sign up to volunteer. You can also save up to 15 minutes on the day of your appointment, by simply visiting www.redcrossblood.org/RapidPass to complete your pre-donation reading and health history questions. Everyday heroes like you can help save up to three lives with just one blood donation. Thank you for giving the gift of life. -
Saturday ,
MarMarch 23 , 2024
Shabbat, Mar 23rd 6:00p to 9:30p
Join the Beth El and B'nai Tikvoh-Sholom families as we celebrate Purim together! Early evening events for families with young children, followed by a festive community dinner, Kahoot! trivia, and the Megillah reading! Click in to register! 6:00-6:30 The Story of Esther: An Interactive Purim Program geared toward 0-5 year olds and their families Come in costume for Purim songs, a costume parade, a fun, interactive telling of the story of Esther and more! All are invited to join us for dinner after. 6:30-7:15 Se’udah Shleesheet - Festive Dinner for All 7:15-7:40 Shabbat Mincha 7:40-9:15 Ma’ariv, Havdalah, and Megillah Reading Put on your costumes and join us for a festive reading of the Megillah of Esther, complete with singing, a costume parade, Kahoot! Trivia, and more! 9:15 Hamantaschen and other Nosh -
Sunday ,
MarMarch 24 , 2024Purim Family Services & Megillah Reading
Sunday, Mar 24th 9:00a to 11:30a
The Purim festivities continue on Sunday morning with a family-friendly, entertaining, interactive megillah reading for all! -
Thursday ,
AprApril 4 , 2024Weaving Together My Father's Story with Mark Schmidek
Thursday, Apr 4th 7:00p to 8:30p
How do seemingly unrelated events string together to tell the story of a lifetime? Join us to hear Beth El's Mark Schmidek share the amazing story of his father's Holocaust survival. Mark's father, Norbert Schmidek, was an 11 year-old child in 1933 in Wuerzberg, Germany. He would walk to school with other Jews and Christians. Things would change that year when Hitler came to power. Refreshments will be served. This program is co-sponsored by the Beth El Men's Club, Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford, and CT Voices of Hope. Click in to register!