Emanu-El on the Road, Part III: Alabama
By Em Besthoff Assistant Director, Lifelong Learning This winter, I found myself in the heart of Alabama with nine students from our Religious School. Our students could have used their February break to thaw out after a brutal winter, travel with family, or relax at home. Instead, they journeyed south with me to stand on […]
Emanu-El on the Road, Part I: Prague
Mike Witman and Religious School students in Prague. At Temple Emanu-El, we see travel as a powerful way to connect with Jewish history and our global community. This past winter, our members journeyed from the Czech Republic to Mexico to explore the intersections of Jewish heritage and local culture. We are excited to launch this […]
Walking Through History on the Lower East Side
This past Sunday, our seventh-grade Religious School students braved the cold and explored the dynamic and vibrant Jewish history of the Lower East Side. Our fantastic tour guide, Jonathan Goldstein of Cicerone Travel, explained why so many Jewish immigrants settled in the Lower East Side in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Students learned that […]
Atonement in Antiquity
The History of Kippur Yom in Earliest Israel Adapted from a lecture given on Yom Kippur, October 12, 2024. Figure 1 Afternoon prayer on Yom Kippur, Leipzig Mahzor, Germany, Ca. 1310, Vol. 2. 164v. Leipzig University Library In modern times, Yom Kippur is a day of elevated holiness, of reflection and seeking forgiveness, and of […]
Reading for Renewal: A High Holy Days Book List
As the Days of Awe approach, many of us seek ways to prepare our minds and hearts for the season of reflection, repentance, and renewal. Prayer and worship are central to the journey, but so too is the quiet act of study: sitting with words that challenge, inspire, and comfort us as we look inward […]
Rising Leaders: Celebrating Our Teen Executive Board Elections
We’re excited to share that this year’s Teen Executive Board elections have officially wrapped—and what a process it was! From thoughtful applications and campaign speeches to peer voting and community discussions, our teens stepped up with passion, purpose, and vision. Each candidate demonstrated a deep commitment to creating a stronger, more inclusive Jewish teen community here at Temple Emanu-El. We wrapped our first year […]
Religious school creates murals of love and gratitude
When Mike Witman started his role as Director of Lifelong Learning, he noticed the hallway walls in the department’s wing. They were empty. He knew that eventually he wanted those walls to reflect the Temple Emanu-El Lifelong Learning community. Sixteen months later, with the help of religious school students, teachers, and Temple Emanu-El clergy and […]
Relational Zionism: Connecting the Next Generation to Israel
By Michael Witman, Director of Lifelong Learning, Temple Emanu-El As Director of Lifelong Learning at Temple Emanu-El and a parent deeply committed to my child’s Jewish identity, I’ve had many conversations about the importance of Israel education. One phone call stands out: a mother, distressed at the uptick in antisemitism and anti-Zionism since October 7th, […]
Thank You to Women of Emanu-El
Temple Emanu-El extends our deepest gratitude to Women of Emanu-El for its generous gift of prayer books to our Religious School. It is the dedication to education and spiritual growth that will empower our students to explore the teachings of our traditions with renewed enthusiasm and curiosity. These books will serve as a guiding light, […]
The 2023 Elsie Adler Yom HaShoah Program
by Caryn Roman Acting Director of Lifelong Learning “Not to transmit an experience is to betray it.” – Elie Wiesel, z”l, Holocaust survivor, political activist, Nobel laureate and teacher The obligation to remember the Holocaust and its victims is so much a part of modern Jewish life that the philosopher Rabbi Dr. Emile […]
