TBE’s centennial year is here!

One hundred years ago, a small group met in the Summer Street home of Mr. and Mrs. William Block to organize a new congregation in Stamford. They quickly found 50 interested families and rented space at the Hebrew Institute’s building on Greyrock Place. Today, 50 families have become more than 500, and rented space has become a warm and welcoming sanctuary located in rustic North Stamford.

To help all of us celebrate this momentous occasion — to look back at our past and forward to our future — the TBE 100 Committee is putting together a series of programs and activities that will take place throughout this year. Here is a list of some of the things we have planned so far:

• Kickoff celebration at Temple Rock on February 1, featuring a Roaring Twenties dance band.
• An historical exhibit to be displayed in our lobby.
• The TBE 100 Mitzvah Project that will provide opportunities for adults and children to help community organizations in need of volunteers.
• A dialog on re-envisioning Beth El Cares at Sunday morning breakfast on March 8: From Service to Advocacy with guest speaker Ruth Messinger.
• Special Kabbalat Shabbat services on May 8, October 30 and November 20, during which we will recognize different generations within our synagogue and rejoice in our diversity.
• Special Kabbalat Shabbat service on June 5 with a panel discussion by TBE past presidents, moderated by our soon-to-be president Lisa Manheim.
• A slide show of the past 100 years, including photographs received from congregants, to be shown at the Annual Meeting.
• A relay on Sunday morning, September 13 (our actual anniversary date) from Prospect Street, the original TBE site, to Roxbury Road, followed by a brunch with speakers and entertainment.
• An end-of-year celebration on Saturday evening, December 5.
• Placement of paver blocks at the synagogue’s entrance with the engraved names of congregants and their loved ones for those who choose to commemorate our 100th anniversary in this manner.

As the year progresses, we will provide more detailed information on these events, as well as others, through our weekly Shabbat announcements, the TBE Bulletin and on this website. Please mark your calendars as early as possible so you can participate and get involved!

We look forward to celebrating this exciting year with you.