Kehillah Opportunities

Relationship is at the heart of everything we do at Temple Beth Am. Intentional connection in community (kehillah) is how we deepen our relationship to Judaism and to one another. We celebrate together, we grieve together, we learn and grow together.

We seek to meet the needs of each individual member through greater community connections. Whether you are looking for a place to connect with like-minded individuals, an opportunity to challenge your worldview, a place to serve the wider community, to learn new things, or a space to simply feel at home, we hope to partner with you through our intentional community. Below are several groups that meet regularly (both in-person and virtually) to engage in kehillah.

In response to our ever-changing world, we aim to offer Kehillah Opportunities that speak to your unique needs. If you have an idea for a group, or don’t see one that nourishes who you are, we encourage you to email Amber Hersholt to collaborate with us to expand our offerings.

To stay up to date with Kehillah Opportunities and group events, check out our Weekly Happenings or join our mailing list to receive our weekly Happenings newsletter.

Community Engagement Trainings

Whether you are a new member or have belonged to Beth Am for years, everyone deserves the opportunity to learn how to engage/re-engage in communal life. The quarterly Community Engagement Trainings will start with a session for new members explaining how to connect with others at Beth Am, engage in our communal worship and learning, as well build relationship through our committees and hearth groups. Each new member session will be followed by a clergy led trainings based upon our sacred values. These trainings will help members of any background make new relationships, gain the skills necessary to lean deeper in our committees and communal programs, and deepen their connection ritual life at Beth Am.

Project Bina

Project Bina, (meaning “insight”) is a volunteer committee working to establish a long-term feedback loop at Temple Beth Am. Project Bina seeks to deepen understanding of the needs of the Beth Am congregation, collect diverse perspectives from all TBA congregants, and use feedback received to inform our future planning, programming, and services.

Hearth Groups

Hearth Groups are lay-led gatherings where people who share common interests come together to deepen their connections to Judaism and our Temple Beth Am community. They foster the intentional building of relationships, using Jewish experiences as inspiration for meaningful interaction and personal transformation. Group members make a commitment to the group and are jointly responsible for the group’s success. Anyone – regardless of their level of Jewish knowledge or experience – can be a group leader. Above all, these groups are a venue to connect, share stories and passions, and see and hear each other more deeply. Each group is organized around a specific topic or interest and will meet for five to eight sessions. We have a variety of groups in each of the three houses of Temple Beth Am: Beit K’hilah (community), Beit T’filah (spirituality), and Beit Midrash (learning).

Reach out to Maya Menon and Allison Opson-Clement if you are interested or have questions about leadership!

Tzedek/Justice

“Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof / Justice, justice, you shall pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20)

Since its founding, Temple Beth Am has been firmly committed to tzedek (justice), chesed (acts of loving kindness), and tikkun olam (repairing the world) as a vital part of how we deepen our relationship to Judaism. We hope that in practicing these values, our community gains an actionable awareness of the issues we face today

Adult Learning

It is through powerful learning experiences that we can deepen our relationships to Judaism and our community. Our Adult Learning community is focused on seeking meaning, creating connection, and relationship building for all. We aim to offer a range of opportunities to gather, share, discuss, debate, and learn from each other.

Beth Am Book Group

The TBA Book Group will launch another season of great reading in the fall of 2023. Each discussion was facilitated by a different Beth Am member who will guide participants through friendly, informal conversations about each book. We hope to see you at a Beth Am Book Group meeting!

Book List for 2023 -24 Meetings Take Place Second Tuesdays of The Month

Oct 10:  Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks – Novel about the life of King David  HYBRID

Nov 14   Memento Park by  Mark – Story of  stolen art, family, faith and Jewish history. ZOOM

Dec 12   Red Balcony by Jonathan Wilson – Based on true events a novel of love history and justice during British Mandatory Palestine. ZOOM

Jan  9     Great House by Nicole Krauss – A novel that asks what do we pass on to our children and how do they absorb our dreams and losses? How do we respond to disappearance, destruction, and change? ZOOM

Feb 13    Shanda: A Memoir of Shame and Secrecy by Letty Cottin Pogrebin – A family history, secrets, and stigma by one of the founders of MS magazine. ZOOM

Mar 12  Kantika by Elizabeth Graver –  A Sweeping  Sephardic family story. HYBRID

Apr 9     American Pastoral by Phillip Roth- An elegy for the twentieth century’s promises of prosperity, civic order, and domestic bliss. HYBRID

Families with Young Kids

The Families with Young Kids is a robust group of Beth Am members with kids aged 0-7 who gather to play and make lasting relationships. They currently host monthly outdoor meetups! To receive updates about upcoming events, please email amanda@templebetham.org.

Sisters of Beth Am (Women of Reform Judaism)

Temple Beth Am’s WRJ (Women of Reform Judaism) chapter is a diverse group of women whose purpose is to create a supportive community by providing opportunities for building friendships and developing leadership skills. We nurture, sustain, and support this community and Temple Beth Am through social activities that promote the values of Reform Judaism, enable us to perform tikkun olam, and expand the spiritual and intellectual growth of our members. Our goals are:

  • Establish a community of women that is inclusive, non-judgmental, and supportive of a diverse range of women
  • Engage in a variety of regular social activities to promote friendships and build community
  • Foster leadership development among the women of our congregation

When you join Sisters of Beth Am, you become part of a national and international network of 100,000 women in 14 countries who work to create a stronger worldwide Jewish community. You also become a partner in the work of Reform Judaism and its institutions (including the URJ and ARZA ), an advocate of women’s and children’s rights, and a supporter of endangered Jewish communities. You take a stand on critical domestic and international issues.

Learn more about the national Women of Reform Judaism.

Join the Sisters of Beth Am Leadership Team

If you want to meet other amazing, involved Jewish women, help us plan a yearly calendar of events, and just have some fun, then the Sisters of Beth Am wants you! Contact Rebecca Fox or Alexis Kort for more information on how to get involved.

Join our mailing list to keep updated on ongoing Sisters of Beth Am events.

Beth Am Brotherhood

The Beth Am Brotherhood is a social group for men and masculine-identifying people at Temple Beth Am. During Brotherhood events, we deepen our relationships while having fun and socializing. From paintball to pub nights, all ages are welcome and encouraged. Formed in 2019 just as the pandemic was kicking into high gear, we’ve been on hold for a while but are coming back strong and are looking forward to our first annual retreat at Camp Kalsman in October. For more information, keep an eye on the weekly emails from Temple about upcoming events. Reach out to Joel Fingeroot to be added to the Brotherhood’s email list or if you’re interested in taking a leadership role in the Brotherhood.

Parsha and Poker with the Beth Am Brotherhood will now take place on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7 PM.