Reflections from the President

Beth El Temple has long been considered a flagship congregation in the Conservative Movement. We can be proud of our many accomplishments, including the creation of vibrant learning and worship opportunities. We have long been a pioneer in forging new ground, leading the way in gender equality, civil rights, and more. It is time to step forward once again to embrace those who honor us with their links to our community.

We are blessed by the presence and involvement of a wide variety of individuals in our community, including children and adults of different faith backgrounds. Everyone in our Beth El family honors us with their support of our congregational mission, helps our children learn about Judaism in SULAM and Solomon Schechter, and attends programs, classes, and services. All are cherished partners in our community.At the same time, we are aware that our welcome of our non-Jewish friends could be better and deeper. This is true for both those who are already connected to Beth El and those who are seeking a spiritual home.

We believe it is time to be increasingly welcoming to all within our community, while maintaining our commitment to Conservative Judaism. This includes the areas of membership, education, ritual expression, leadership, and more.

On February 16, the Beth El Board of Trustees approved changes to Beth El’s bylaws which would expand the definition of membership to allow inclusion of both adult members of households where one partner is not Jewish.

These proposals, the work of the Inclusion Committee, the Bylaws Committee, and our clergy, have been carefully crafted to balance our commitment to tradition while creating a more welcoming congregation. They will be presented to the congregation for discussion at two town meetings after which the Board will consider any further changes and present the final proposed amendments to the congregation for a vote at the Annual Meeting on June 13.

We hope that the changes we are proposing will help make us a House of Prayer for all People, as the prophet Isaiah put it many centuries ago, or more familiarly, a community you can believe in.

~ Steve Rabb