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Mission and Vision

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Mission

Temple Beth El is a Conservative, egalitarian, spiritual community that challenges itself to sanctify each day through prayer, action, study, and mitzvot. We honor our Jewish traditions and infuse them with renewed meaning by practicing them in both traditional and innovative ways. We pray together by combining music, ritual, dialogue, and reflection. We strive to place Tikkun Olam (“repairing the world”) at the center of our daily lives. We welcome all to join our inclusive community as we aspire to fill the world with spirituality, learning and social justice for all humankind.

Vision

Temple Beth El’s 2020 Vision is an encapsulation of our hopes and dreams as a congregation. As such, it espouses our core values, guides us in our decision making, and provides the motivation to forge a bright and fulfilling future for ourselves and for our children.

  • Inspiration: We are a passionate, vibrant and progressive Conservative congregation that inspires spirituality

    1. Judaism guides our daily lives
    2. Our children (of all ages) are engaged in being Jewish
    3. We generate spirituality by applying traditional rituals to contemporary needs
    4. Our services and clergy are accessible and engaging
    5. Our prayers inspire us to take action, to improve ourselves, and to seek interconnectedness
    6. Music permeates our praying and intensifies our relationship with prayer
    7. We are a modeling institution for other clergy and lay leadership

  • Sustainability: We grow stronger every year

    1. We are financially secure and self-sustaining
    2. We have all necessary resources – staff, money, volunteers, facilities, technology, and a following
    3. Our donor base is both broad and deep
    4. We have growing membership and Hebrew School enrollment
    5. We have significant attendance at services
    6. We are growing leadership at all levels (including seniors, young families, teens, TBE Cares, committee chairs, etc.)
    7. Our brand is strong and seen as inclusive, welcoming, authentic and unique
    8. We are a “learning organization,” continuously reviewing and improving ALL that we do, from religious activities and education through planning, finance and administration

  • Shabbat: We believe that each Shabbat is a priceless gift, an exciting moment that gives life to our congregation

    1. Placing Shabbat as the fulcrum of our week enables us to live by the rhythms of Jewish time
    2. We prioritize Shabbat activities over all other events with regular participation by TBE leadership
    3. Our community-building efforts revolve around Shabbat, with speakers, celebrations, meals and other Shabbat-appropriate activities filling our building each Friday night and Shabbat day
    4. Members and non-members alike use our facilities on Shabbat for study, discussion and community
    5. Our Shabbat experience provides multiple gateways to experience the holiness of Shabbat rest

  • Support: Our building is a place where people of all generations congregate and gain support regularly

    1. We are a regional congregation
    2. Our building is always buzzing with activity
    3. We provide support to individuals and families throughout the life-cycle
    4. We excel at educating both our young people and knowledge seekers of all ages
    5. We host a constant flow of speakers to address the spiritual, developmental, and social action needs of our community
    6. We are leaders in applying technology to servicing people
    7. We expand our reach beyond the walls of 350 Roxbury Road

  • Community: We embrace all -- the friend, the stranger, and the neighbor

    1. Every person in the building feels personally welcomed; we excel at the “human touch”
    2. We are a place where everyone can delight in connecting to Judaism whether Jewish or not
    3. Our door is open regardless of one’s financial capacity
    4. We provide a model of stewardship and sustainability for the community

  • Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World)

    1. We engage in social action that builds from Torah, taking D’Var Torah beyond the service
    2. We make a genuine positive difference in the community
    3. We are community leaders in strengthening interfaith connections
    4. We have increased voluntarism
    5. We serve all who might otherwise slip through the cracks economically, spiritually or socially
    6. We inspire our youth to embrace Tikkun Olam
    7. We model the principles of Tikkun Olam through our actions regarding TBE programs and operations

  • Israel: Israel is central to our community

    1. Israel permeates our prayers, our programs, and our identity
    2. We have increased TBE’s connection to Israel and Israel’s connection to TBE
    3. We keep our congregation and community informed about Israel, its challenges and its opportunities
    4. We create connections between contemporary Israel and our members, our youth, and our community
    5. We advocate for Israel while discussing its challenges with candor

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© Temple Beth El · 350 Roxbury Road · Stamford, CT 06902 · (203) 322-6901 ·· Synagogue website by Internet Presence LLC