Temple Beth El of Boca Raton

Unabashedly Progressive. Unapologetically Zionist.A Conversation with Amanda Berman
2025-01-08 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Temple Beth El – Schaefer Family Campus, 333 SW 4th Avenue, Boca Raton, FL, 33432, United States
Since October 7, 2023, the intersection between Zionism and progressivism seems to be tearing at the seams.
Join Amanda Berman, Founder and CEO of the Zioness Movement, in conversation with our Temple Beth El clergy, as we see how the principles of Zionism and progressive values can are naturally woven together. Together, we will reflect on how our commitment to Jewish identity and tradition calls us to fight for equality, dignity, and a better world.
Amanda Berman is a civil rights attorney who previously worked to fight antisemitism legally and now dedicates her career to the advancement and protection of the Jewish people and the Zionist community.
Register

Miami Day Trip to the Nova Exhibition: The Moment Music Stood Still - Morning Trip
2025-01-26 08:30 - 15:30 | FL
8:30 am – Meet at the Temple Beth El Schaefer Family Campus
9:00 am – Bus departs
3:30 pm – Bus returns to Temple Beth El Schaefer Family Campus
The Nova Exhibition is an in-depth remembrance of the brutal massacre at The Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023. The events of that tragic day will be presented in a moving exhibit contrasting between light and dark, and good and evil. The installation includes remnants salvaged from personal belongings left behind, stories of victims and survivors as well as a healing space to mend spirits, reflect and honor that hopeful plea, “We will dance again”.
Together as a synagogue community we will view the exhibition and then hear from a survivor of the brutal attack, as well as reflect together following the experience.
This groundbreaking installation is presented as a way to empower visitors to responsibly explore & bear witness to the tragic events of October 7th and its aftermath.
$72 per person, includes travel by bus, exhibition admission and lunch at Jaffa, a popular Israeli restaurant
Register
For more information contact Elinor Josephson at EJosephson@tbeboca.org.

Miami Day Trip to the Nova Exhibition: The Moment Music Stood Still
2025-01-26 11:00 - 15:30 | FL
11:00 am – Meet at the Temple Beth El Schaefer Family Campus
11:30 am – Bus departs
6:00 pm – Bus returns to Temple Beth El Schaefer Family Campus
The Nova Exhibition is an in-depth remembrance of the brutal massacre at The Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023. The events of that tragic day will be presented in a moving exhibit contrasting between light and dark, and good and evil. The installation includes remnants salvaged from personal belongings left behind, stories of victims and survivors as well as a healing space to mend spirits, reflect and honor that hopeful plea, “We will dance again”.
Together as a synagogue community we will view the exhibition and then hear from a survivor of the brutal attack, as well as reflect together following the experience.
This groundbreaking installation is presented as a way to empower visitors to responsibly explore & bear witness to the tragic events of October 7th and its aftermath.
$72 per person, includes travel by bus, exhibition admission and lunch at Jaffa, a popular Israeli restaurant
Register
For more information contact Elinor Josephson at EJosephson@tbeboca.org.

Israel Trip Informational Meeting
2025-01-29 19:00 - 20:30 | Temple Beth El – Schaefer Family Campus, 333 SW 4th Avenue, Boca Raton, FL, 33432, United States
My heart is in the East and I am at the edge of the West.
Travel to Israel for a journey of unity with Rabbi Dan Levin and Elinor Josephson. Tour, Cook, Volunteer, Learn, Explore. A great trip for all – perfect for those who have been to Israel before as well as those visiting for the first time. Join us at this interest meeting to learn more about the trip.
Trip dates: June 8 – 19, 2025
Register
For more information, contact Elinor Josephson at 561-314-2833 or EJosephson@tbeboca.org.

Lunch & Learn: Poetry of Israel, Post-October 7th with Rachel Korazim
2025-03-04 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-03-11 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-03-18 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-03-25 12:00 - 13:00 | Temple Beth El – Schaefer Family Campus, 333 SW 4th Avenue, Boca Raton, FL, 33432, United States
Taught by Rachel Korazim
The calamity of October 7 and the war that followed had left Israel and the Jewish world in shock and despair. The unimaginable became our reality. As more details of the horror unfold, we are facing the painful daily losses in battle and the plight of the hostages and their families. Not less troubling, are the terrible losses and devastation in Gaza. We find ourselves less and less able to talk about it. The expression most commonly used is אין מילים ein milim – No Words.
Yet, there are those who struggle and find words to express pain and anger, despair and abandonment. The poems are often raw and painful, while at the same time full of love and even hope. They reflect a variety of Israeli voices and echo the impact of daily events. Our four sessions will each highlight one of the many aspects of this amazing body of literature.

Session 1: Shock and Bewilderment
Session 2: As Days Go By
Session 3: Poems of October 7
Session 4: In Every Generation

Join us in person at the Schaefer Family Campus or online.
Zoom Link Livestream YouTube

Rachel Korazim is a Jewish education consultant in curriculum development for Israel and Holocaust education. Rachel opens for her audiences a window to Israeli society through literature; through stories, poems and songs of the best of Israel’s writers, she invites listeners to engage with Israel in an innovative way. She Rachel teaches at Israel’s well known learning centers such as Pardes and the Shalom Hartman Institutes as well as numerous world Jewish communities.

Havdalah & Candlelight Vigil
2025-03-08 17:30 | Temple Beth El – Schaefer Family Campus, 333 SW 4th Avenue, Boca Raton, FL, 33432, United States
Join us as our community comes together to mourn the loss of the 8 hostages whose bodies were returned to us in recent days. We will stand in solidarity with the families and loved ones of all the hostages, and find comfort with heartfelt song and prayer.

VOTE REFORM in the World Zionist Congress Election
2025-03-10 - 2025-05-04 | FL
VOTE REFORM in the WZC Election to protect and safeguard REFORM JEWISH VALUES IN ISRAEL

Israeli Reform clergy – especially our female rabbis – and our Reform communities
Gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights and religious pluralism
Rights of our converts and their children to ensure they are welcome in the Jewish state
Long-term peace and security

For 5 minutes and $5, YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
VOTE REFORM NOW

Voting is open from March 10 – May 4. We will have tables set up at the below events to help people vote.
Click here to sign up to volunteer at one of these events.

Thursday, March 13 at 7:00 pm (SFC) – Wicked Purim Spiel
Friday, March 14 at 7:30 pm (SFC) – Pride Shabbat
Saturday, March 15 at 9:30 am (BFC) – Family Purim Celebration
Thursday, March 20 at 7:30 pm (SFC) Israel’s Path Forward: A Call to Action with Rabbi Lindsey Danziger
Friday, March 21 at 7:30 pm (SFC) – Shabbat Evening Services: Insights from Israel
Friday, March 28 at 6:00 pm (SFC) – Shabbat Evening Services: Rabbi Danny Schiff
Wednesday, April 2 at 7:00 pm (SFC) – Sisterhood & Brotherhood Passover Experience
Friday, April 4 at 6:00 pm (SFC) – Shabbat Evening Services: Shabbat at Six
Saturday, April 5 at 10:00 am (BFC) – ELC Mitzvah Day
Friday, April 11 at 6:30 pm (BFC) – Earth Day Tot Shabbat
Friday, April 11 at 7:30 pm (SFC) – Shabbat Evening Services
Friday, April 18 at 6:00 pm (SFC) – Kol HaNeshama Shabbat Service
Friday, April 18 at 7:30 pm (SFC) – Shabbat Evening Services
Friday, April 25 at 7:30 pm (SFC) – Shabbat Evening Services
Friday, May 2 at 6:00 pm (SFC) – Shabbat Evening Services: Blue & White Shabbat
Sunday, May 4 at 3:00 pm (SFC) – Sounds of Music Ensemble Concert

Israel @ 77: Looking Back to Look Forward with Dr. Ken Stein of the Center for Israel Education
2025-05-01 19:00 - 20:30 | Temple Beth El – Schaefer Family Campus, 333 SW 4th Avenue, Boca Raton, FL, 33432, United States
October 7, 2023 stunned Israelis, American Jews and others across the world. Could the heinous Hamas attacks on Israelis been avoided?
In February and March 2025, the Israel Defense Forces released a series of findings that pointed to wrong-headed thinking and preparations prior to October 7. What mindsets and miscalculations were in fact deeply held in the months and years before the attacks? Underestimation of the enemy, domestic complacency, and overconfidence in one’s own superiority were the mistakes that Israeli intelligence made fifty years earlier prior to the outbreak of the October 1973 War!

Why did so many in 2023 believe that a peaceful resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was possible if only Israel made the necessary overtures, or if the Israeli leadership were different?
Did Israelis and her supporters worldwide truly understand that Hamas’ motivations and those elsewhere in the Muslim world were singularly interested in killing Jews and eradicating Israel?
How will October 7 and its aftermath be remembered and taught to generations to come?
Will it only be remembered as just another tragic event in Jewish history or, in addition are there valuable lessons to be gleaned about ourselves and our neighbors that must be taught to our children.
Are we prepared to change our collective mindsets to avoid more miscalculations?

Register
This program is graciously underwritten by Friends of Music and the Arts and Temple Beth El Adult Education.

Dr. Kenneth Stein is Emory University Emeritus Professor of Contemporary Middle Eastern History, Political Science, and Israel Studies. From 1977 to 2024 he taught some 5800 students, earning university and national recognition for his excellence in teaching, life-long mentoring of students, internationalizing the curriculum. He was awarded ADL recognition for his intellectual integrity for refuting the inaccuracies and inventions in Jimmy Carter’s controversial 2006 book, Palestine Peace Not Apartheid. Ken also took issue with Carter’s full throated embrace of Hamas. He authored six books and since 1977 became the key scholarly link between Emory and the Atlanta community in teaching about Israel, US foreign policy toward the region and the modern Arab world. Ken’s record as a superb scholar and valued public intellectual has been recognized world-wide. Ken and his family support several scholarships at Israeli universities that promote the study of modern Israel.
Ken was the first director of the Carter Center 1983-1986; he founded and directed at Emory the first permanent Institute for the Study of modern Israel (1998- 2024) in the U.S, and he remains the founding President the Center for Israel Education, which started in 2008. The Center for Israel Education – CIE is unique world-wide; it has evolved to be the largest visited English website globally for access to timely and reliable content on Israeli history, politics and society. 2.4 million users visited the website in 2024. CIE targets young adults, the general public, and Spanish readers. In fifteen years it has enriched Israel knowledge for 400,000 educators, Jewish and non-Jewish clergy. In an age of Instagram, Facebook, ‘X” and multiple blogging all across the political spectrum, the CIE website stays true to the provision of trustworthy information about modern Israel and its quest to remain the nation-state of the Jewish people

Momentum Women's Spirituality Trip to Israel - Informational Meeting
2025-05-05 19:00 - 20:00 | FL
Learn about this trip to Israel that seeks to inspire women to transform themselves, their families, their communities and the world.
Join this informational Zoom meeting for women members of Temple Beth El with children ages 18 and younger, who are interested in the Momentum Trip, a 7-day immersive experience to the heart of Israel. It’s a special educational journey that leads participants not only through Israel but also to a more meaningful Jewish identity. The Momentum Journey is the inspiration to connect to Jewish values, engage more deeply with Israel, and gain the confidence to take action by standing up and speaking out.
TRIP DATES: November 17 – 23, 2025
INFORMATIONAL MEETING: Monday, May 5 at 7:00 pm on Zoom
Register

Unity for Israel Dessert Reception Honoring Judith Chason
2025-11-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Temple Beth El – Schaefer Family Campus, 333 SW 4th Avenue, Boca Raton, FL, 33432, United States
Join together with Israel Bonds Palm Beach, Adam Hasner (President of Florida Atlantic University), and fourteen synagogues around Palm Beach as we honor Temple Beth El member, Judith Chason, and celebrate unity for Israel.
$25 per person
Register

From Darkness to Light: An Evening of Courage, Friendship and Hope
2026-02-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Temple Beth El – Schaefer Family Campus, 333 SW 4th Avenue, Boca Raton, FL, 33432, United States
On October 7, two best friends, Yosef Haim Ohana and Daniel Sharabi, attended a music festival together—never imagining how dramatically their lives would change.
This powerful live, in-person program brings together firsthand testimony of survival, loss, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to love and compassion. Yosef and Daniel share their journeys—not as a political statement, but as a deeply human message about choosing light over darkness and hope over despair.
Joined by close friend David Gershaw, this evening offers rare personal insight, meaningful conversation, and the opportunity for the audience to ask questions directly of those who lived through these extraordinary events.
This is a not-to-be-missed evening of truth, courage, and connection.
$18 per person
Register

Featured Speakers
Yosef Haim Ohana is a living testament to the resilience of the human spirit. After being brutally held hostage in Gaza for two years, Yosef emerged with a message rooted not in anger or division, but in love, compassion, and healing. Today, Yosef is committed to spreading a universal message of hope through speaking engagements, storytelling, and creative platforms that inspire people to choose humanity even in the face of unimaginable darkness.
Daniel Sharabi is a survivor, humanitarian, and advocate for healing. After enduring profound personal loss and trauma, Daniel dedicated his life to helping others recover and rebuild. He is the founder of Future for the Survivors, a nonprofit organization focused on providing critical support to victims of terror and trauma. Daniel’s story is one of pain transformed into purpose, and loss reshaped into hope for others.
David Gershaw, son of congregants Scott Gershaw and Fern Kanter, developed a deep personal bond with Yosef and Daniel during what was meant to be a one-week visit to Israel an experience that ultimately lasted nearly two months. During this time, David volunteered extensively, participated in high-level meetings focused on improving government treatment of victims of terror, and entered Gaza alongside the IDF to tour an actual Hamas terror tunnel. David brings a unique perspective as both a witness and participant in this unfolding history.

Celebrate Israel with the Jewish Federation
2026-04-26 10:00 - 14:00 | Sunset Cove Amphitheater, 20405 Amphitheater Cir, Boca Raton, FL, 33498, United States
Celebrate Israel is a joyful, all-ages celebration of Israeli culture and community. The day will include an Israeli-style shuk, shopping and food vendors, bounce houses, a magician, and much more – creating a vibrant and engaging experience for all.
Temple Beth El will have a table at this event. Come visit and have a great time!
Register

Israel in Depth: A Reform Day of Learning
2026-05-17 12:00 - 17:00 | FL
Join us for a Reform Day of Learning — a North America-wide virtual training designed for this moment. Hear from leading experts, tackle big questions, and connect with peers navigating the complexities of a post-October 7 Jewish world. This half-day experience will explore Israel education, Israeli–Palestinian relationships, advocacy, partnerships, and Jewish peoplehood — plus a special conversation with Rachel Goldberg-Polin on her powerful new book When We See You Again. A meaningful opportunity to gain clarity, tools, and community.
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Momentum Israel Trip Informational Meeting
2026-06-24 19:00 - 21:00 | FL
Led by Senior Cantorial Leader Michelle Auslander Cohen and Gina Shugar
Join us for another soul-fulfilling experience for women with children under 18. This highly subsidized trip will depart on November 16, 2026.
Register for the informational meeting on Zoom.
Register
For information, contact Senior Cantorial Associate Michelle Auslander Cohen at MCohen@tbeboca.org.
