Submission #27923 by Beth El Men's Club - Cedarhurst, NY (831)

Submission information
Submitted by miltonlipitz24
Thu, 2023-03-09 17:01
98.113.130.117
2023
I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines.
Club Name
Beth El Men's Club - Cedarhurst, NY (831)
Jewish Observance
Club Representative
Person completing form
Dr. Jeff Shore
Milton
Lipitz
Club President at time of convention if known at this time
Milton
Lipitz
Club President Now
Milton
Lipitz
Jewish Observance

Page 1

The goal of Jewish Observance has occurred through a variety of programs that have been established and for a variety of programs expanded upon. A Men's Club Executive Board Member runs classes on "How to Lead a Minyan" in addition to a newly formed Beginners class. Our Yom HaShoah program combines the lighting of candles on the Erev of Yom HaShoah with a film from the Moriah Collection we purchased from the Simon Wiesenthal Center. During our Men's Club Shabbat, we bring in guest speakers such as a docent from the Holocaust Museum; This year our D'Var Torah was given by a Member of the Men's Club whose Topic was: "The Supreme Court Case Considers Issues Relating to Sabbath Observance"' On the evening of Kristallnacht, we always have a Memorial service in addition to a guest speaker ie. Martin Goldsmith who wrote two books concerning the Holocaust. Every year we organize a Veteran's Shabbat to honor Veterans where Men's Club Members run the program.. We have expanded our "World Wide Wrap Program" to include Congregants from other temples as well as students from those temples. We have arranged visits to the OHEL and to The Jewish Theological Seminary where our Rabbi was our Tour Guide. During Chanukah, Men's Club Members volunteer to model lighting the Menorah on Zoom to the entire Congregation.
Our "How to Run a Minyan" class has taught Congregants not only the steps in running a Minyan, but has helped to improve the reading of the prayers. The members of this class run Morning and Evening Minyans which they had not done before. The program has expanded to a beginners class where Congregants who are not familiar with Hebrew are taught the basics. Sisterhood Members are classmates as well as members of the Men's Club. In addition, students from both classes are requested to attend Morning and Evening Minyans We held a program entitled "Monday Night at the Movies" where we showed 4 different Moriah Films during 4 consecutive months; the last being held on April 19th two days after Yom Ha Shoah.. We also held a "Jewish Trivia Contest" where we invited community synagogues to participate. Certificates were rewarded to the winning team in addition to a certificate for "The Jewish Trivia Maven". Our visits to the OHEL and The Jewish Theological Seminary added greatly to our Goal of Enhancing Jewish Observance. The idea of including other Temples, with Adults and Students, in our "World Wide Wrap" Program helped make this event extremely successful. Men' Club members organize many of these programs and/or attend these events.
Attachments
Self Assessment
Our Temple has 157 Families who are contacted concerning all our programs. We also send flyers to other temples inviting them to participate in our programs. We have been successful with Hewlett East Rockaway Jewish Center where Congregants have attended events at each others temples. These events are Religious; Educational; and Meaningful Programs as well as providing Social Interaction among our own Congregants as well as Congregants from other temples.
All of our activities are open to Men and Women. Our "How to Run a Minyan" program, advanced and beginner programs, has opened the door for many Congregants to expand their knowledge of Judaism. Congregants who are in both of these programs partake in our Men's Club Shabbat and attend Morning and/or Evening Minyans. Mens's Club members are involved in organizing and participating in our Veteran's Shabbat program; and help to organize programs with other temples such as Hewlett East Rockaway Jewish Center. It was our Men's Club members (a married couple who are both on our Executive Board) who organized our Jewish Trivia contest. It was Men's Club members who organized the speaker for the Kristallnacht Program. We have many Men's Club members who have shown Leadership, Innovation and Community as has been described.
It is Jewish Men who run many of our Jewish Observance Programs ie Men's Club Shabbat; Veterans Shabbat; Kristallnacht; Yom HaShoah Candle Program and coordinate the Moriah Film Program where we not only showed four films (in our Monday Night at the Movies with the Men's Club Program), but also are involved with lending these films to our Congregants.

Page 2

Original Program
Previous Submission
Yes
Honorable Mention