Religious Life and Learning -- Temple Beth Shalom of New Albany, Ohio

Religious Life and Learning at Temple Beth Shalom

Rabbi Howard L. Apothaker brings thirty years of service to the community and intimate knowledge of family circumstances for our congregants and their extended families provide a feeling of continuity for the Temple Beth Shalom community… as someone who really remembers and cares. And now, with the addition of Rabbi Benjy A. Bar-Lev, the congregation has become even more able to serve congregants individually.

Religious Services

A mix of English and Hebrew (with transliterations) makes our services accessible to all.

Our Friday evening services follow a staggered time schedule, as follows:

“First Friday”, at 6:15 pm, is a slightly shorter and simpler service, followed by a dinner and children’s activities.
“Second Friday”, at 8:00 pm, focuses on Adult Education.
“Shabbat Chai”, at 6:15 pm on the third Friday of each month, is an upbeat music service.
“Fourth Friday” begins with a 6:00 pm Shabbat meal off-site before an 8:00 pm service.
On months where there is a fifth Friday, services begin at 8:00 pm.

Weekly Shabbat morning services take place at 10:00 am. The congregation is warmly welcomed to participate in all of our Shabbat morning services, including services in which our students have their First Aliyah as a Bar/Bat Mitzvah. On Shabbatot when there is no scheduled First Aliyah service, our informal “Simchat Shabbat” (the joy of Shabbat) service features a full Torah service along with a text study. Weather permitting, Simchat Shabbat is held in our Outdoor Sanctuary.

Each Sunday, when Religious School is in session, morning t’filot (services) are at 9:15 am for Kindergarten–2nd Grade, and 10:35 am for 3rd Grade–High School. Parents,families and other Beth Shalom congregants are welcome to join the Religious School students for these weekly t’filot.

There are many opportunities to participate in services, to read Torah, to take part in Shabbat services, to sing with the Adult Choir, the Sharyonim… throughout the year, to light candles and to do the kiddush. On the High Holy Days, scores of members participate in some public aspect of the service. In this way, all congregants may, in their own ways, express their personal gratitude for divine blessings.

The Home and Temple

Beth Shalom offers programs that help nurture Jewish life within the home and family… by providing countless opportunities to learn skills and experience the joy of Jewish living. Each month our First Friday services and programs bring a taste of a traditional Shabbat to our temple home and its extended families. Added to that is a list of side-by-side cognitive and affective educational activities: in the sanctuary, in the classroom, in the social hall, and in the community; on Shabbat, on holidays, and on Sundays; for from the very young, to the adolescent to… well, let’s say, the very esteemed. Indeed, every year, each class will join with their families in at least one family educational experience.

Beth Shalom advocates the traditional Jewish value of Sh’lom BAH-yeet, peace in the home—a peaceful and positive cross-generational Judaic experience—as part of its central mission.

Life-Cycle

Temple Beth Shalom’s relatively modest size permits our clergy to arrange highly individualized life cycle ceremonies for congregants.

Before weddings, we provide pre-and post-marital counseling.
Brisses and baby-namings are observed in the congregation or at the congregant’s home in a personalized way, with an individualized brochure and special readings for family members.
Consecration in December, children’s first calls to the Torah as Bar and Bat Mitzvah, and Confirmation all take place with services geared to the particular circumstances of a child or a class of children.
Our rabbis regularly visit hospitals and nursing homes.
And at time of loss, our clergy and bereavement committee offer counseling, physical assistance, and comfort.

Learning

At Temple Beth Shalom we have created a community of learners, involving parents, toddlers, and school-aged children from Kindergarten through high school, adults, teachers, and staff. The topics covered in our educational programs include Bible, holidays, and comparative religion. On any given Sunday, you might find first graders making challah covers and reciting the blessing for bread, fifth graders hearing the moving story of Masada, high school students learning about American Jewish history in preparation for a trip to HUC in Cincinnati, and adults learning, for the first time, the Hebrew alphabet.

Learning continues on the other days of the week as well—adult study sessions throughout the week, uptown and downtown and in New Albany. And our “Second Friday” program includes “study” of important texts in our Jewish tradition.