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About Temple Beth El of Boca Raton

Welcome to Temple Beth El, one of our country’s most vibrant and highly respected Reform congregations. 

From a small group of committed pioneers who formed the Boca Raton Hebrew Congregation in 1967, Temple Beth El of Boca Raton has grown to be the largest congregation in our area, a center of Jewish tradition, connection, culture, learning and community. Throughout our history we have sought to create a spirit of warmth, intimacy and vitality in all that we are and do, welcoming all people who wish to pursue a meaningful Jewish life. We believe strongly in making a difference in each member’s life, in the larger community, in Israel, and in our world. 

Learn more about Temple Beth El in the video made for the Temple’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2017, or explore our website. If you have any questions or are interested in becoming a member, contact us today!

Our Mission

The mission of Temple Beth El is to inspire a passionate commitment to Jewish life, learning, community and spiritual growth.

Our Vision

Temple Beth El of Boca Raton seeks to be a deeply compelling center of Reform Judaism, integrating the wisdom of Torah and tradition with the modern world in which we live.

Our congregation will:

  • Welcome, involve and inspire all who enter, embracing the unique contributions of every individual.
  • Reach out to the larger community to encourage participation in synagogue life.
  • Celebrate, grieve, heal and grow together through all seasons of life.
  • Strive to be a learned community that questions, studies, and honors the gift of Torah and the covenant with God.
  • Engage in inspiring worship and transformative experiences of Jewish spirituality.
  • Share a love and responsibility for each other, our community and country, for Israel, and for the future of the Jewish people.

History of Temple Beth El of Boca Raton

1967

A small group of Jewish families joined forces and pledged to establish Boca Raton’s first synagogue.  They met in people’s homes, and held services at Marymount College (now Lynn University), thanks to the graciousness of Sister de la Croix, a Catholic nun and President of Marymount College who welcomed them to worship in their facilities.

1971

We have a Sisterhood, membership in Union of American Hebrew Congregations, and $3,000 in the building fund. Services are held in the Moravian Church. We start a Brotherhood and we engage our first full-time Rabbi.

1973

Land is purchased for our own building and the congregation is renamed Temple Beth El. The founders’ vision of a beautiful synagogue building became reality when Temple Beth El was built on 10 acres of land in East Boca Raton. This is now the temple’s Schaefer Family Campus.

1978

Rabbi Merle Singer joins Temple Beth El as our spiritual leader, the third Rabbi to serve our still young congregation.

1980

Our seven classrooms are filled to capacity. Robin Eisenberg joins our staff as Director of Education.

1984

Our school becomes the first Reform Religious School in Florida to be accredited by the National Association of Temple Educators.

1986

We complete our first major capital expansion: a new school building with 16 classrooms and a Youth Library, an enlarged social hall, new offices, and an expanded sanctuary.

1989

Our Religious School becomes accredited for the second time.

1996

Rabbi Dan Levin becomes Associate Rabbi.

1997

Cantor Lori Shapiro joins as Cantorial Soloist. We dedicate Phase I of Temple Beth El’s Mausoleum – the only Jewish mausoleum in the country located on sacred temple grounds.

1999

We dedicate the Jack and Janet Malamud Education Center. Our Religious School becomes one of two Reform Religious Schools which are accredited three times by the National Association of Temple Educators. The second phase of the Mausoleum is completed (two wings on either side of the breezeway).

2002

Rabbi Jessica Spitalnic Brockman joins our staff as Associate Rabbi.

2004

Rabbi Dan Levin returns to succeed Rabbi Singer as senior rabbi.

2009

We dedicate the Beck Family Campus at 9800 Yamato Road. A state of the art education building, the facility achieves LEED Silver certification by the US Green Building Council. It is also the first Jewish preschool in South Palm Beach County to offer infant care. The campus is named after generous benefactors Patty Beck and Louis Beck. Patty Beck will later become the President of the Board of Trustees.

2013

Rabbi Greg Weisman joins the staff as an Assistant Rabbi.

2016

Lori Shapiro, the Temple’s longtime Cantorial Soloist, graduates from Hebrew Union College and is invested, officially becoming Cantor Lori Shapiro.

2019

Major renewal, renovation and expansion occurred on both campuses, meeting the needs of the changing and growing Jewish population in Boca Raton. Renovations at the Schaefer Family Campus revealed magnificent gathering spaces, the Minkoff Family Welcome Center and Endelson Family Tapestries of Love, the Silvers-Rubenstein Family Office Suite, the Beck Family Chapel and the Freyda and Edward Burns Social Justice Center.

2020

In March 2020 the spread of the Coronavirus caused a global health pandemic that closed businesses and offices across the world. Temple Beth El shut its doors, with plans to work remotely until further notice. Determined to remain a source of strength and spirituality to our congregation, we created Virtual Beth El. Whether it was live streaming High Holy Days and Shabbat services, religious school classes and adult education on Zoom, or pre-recorded programs and holidays broadcast on the website, Facebook and YouTube, we reached a virtual congregation which expanded from Boca Raton to around the world. 

2022

In January 2022 we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Rabbi Jessica Spitalnic Mates joining us, and in April 2022 we celebrated Rabbi Dan Levin’s 25 years of dedication to our congregation and the Jewish community at the Gala of Gratitude and Love.

2023

In May 2023 we launched our first podcast: Essential Questions with Rabbi Dan Levin. Each episode poses an essential question and invites a conversation with remarkable people in the Jewish world and in our community.

2020

Completed a major renewal, renovation and expansion on both campuses, meeting the needs of the changing and growing Jewish population in Boca Raton.

2009

In response to the growing number of Jewish families in West Boca Raton, Temple Beth El built its Beck Family Campus at the corner of Yamato Road and US 441.

2005

The Beth El Mausoleum was built at the Schaefer Family Campus to provide a final resting place on sacred synagogue grounds for members of the congregation, as well as the entire Jewish community of South Florida. It is the only mausoleum in the United States built on synagogue grounds.

1977

The founders’ vision of a beautiful synagogue building became reality when Temple Beth El was built on 10 acres of land in East Boca Raton. This is now the temple’s Schaefer Family Campus.

1967

A small group of Jewish families joined forces and pledged to establish Boca Raton’s first synagogue.  They met in people’s homes, and held services at Marymount College (now Lynn University), thanks to the graciousness of Sister de la Croix, a Catholic nun and President of Marymount College who welcomed them to worship in their facilities.