ARTICLES

Yemenite Singer to Highlight Sephardic Festival in Boca Raton

Feburary 22nd, 2018 | Marvin Glassman
wo concerts, a cooking demonstration and a scholar in residence highlight the upcoming Sephardic Festival taking place from March 4-17 at B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton .

Also in early March will be two Jewish-themed plays being performed in South Florida. “Kindertransport” is being shown both at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center, 50 W. Atlantic Blvd. in Pompano Beach from March 2-18 and the Sunrise Civic Center Theatre, 10610 W. Oakland Park Blvd in Sunrise, from March 24-25.

Israel’s 70th Birthday Celebration to Feature Israeli Singer David Broza

January 25th, 2018 | Marvin Glassman
Israeli singer/songwriter David Broza will sing his hit songs over his 40-year career on Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. at B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton in celebration of Israel’s 70th birthday.

“David’s music has defined the Israeli songbook for decades and remains fresh as the history of our beloved homeland evolves,” said B’nai Torah Senior Cantor Udi Spielman, who is also artistic director of the congregation’s monthly Concert and Cultural Arts Series.

Holocaust Victim Etty Hillesum Remembered in One-Woman Play Performed by Susan Stein

January 17th, 2018 | Marvin Glassman
Actress Susan Stein stars in the one-woman play “Etty,” about the life of Holocaust victim Etty Hillesum of Amsterdam, on January 28th, 2018 at 2 p.m. at B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton.

Hillesum was the author of diaries and letters which describe both her religious awakening and the persecutions of Jews in Amsterdam during the German occupation. In 1943, Hillesum was deported and killed in the Auschwitz concentration camp at age 29.

Art, Performances to be Showcased at Palm Beach County Synagogues

January 10th, 2018 | Marvin Glassman
Israeli singer Gon Halevi, artist David Moss, and playwright Maureen Wise will each respectively showcase Jewish-themed songs, art and a play from Jan. 17-24 at B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton and Temple Emanu-El in Palm Beach. Halevi will perform four of his original songs, plus the songs of American Jewish musicians Leonard Bernstein, Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel and Barbra Streisand, as well as Israeli artists Yonatan Geffen and Yehudit Ravitz in concert Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at BTC.

Boca’s B’nai Torah Congregation to Feature Scholar, Singing Duo

December 28th, 2017 | Marvin Glassman
B’nai Torah Congregation of Boca Raton will have both a scholar in residence talk and a husband/wife singing duo perform in concert on Jan. 6. Scholar in residence Eli Beer, founder, and president of United Hatzalah of Israel will speak about his organization during morning services as well as at the Shabbat luncheon, beginning at noon. Husband and wife singing duo Avi and Heather Steinhardt will perform in concert in a program titled “An Eclectic Evening of Soulful Singing” beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Portraits of Part-Time Jewish Learning That Works

May 9th, 2017 | Susan Wyner
This is the eighth in a weekly series of posts from a coalition of institutions across the continent devoted to nurturing the emerging transformation of congregational and part-time Jewish education. The series is curated by the Leadership Commons at the William Davidson Graduate School of Education of The Jewish Theological Seminary.

Survivors, Students Connect During Commemoration

April 27th, 2017 | Randall P. Lieberman
Students from the synagogue’s Mirochnick Religious School had breakfast with the temple’s Holocaust survivors and liberators — then escorted these survivors and liberators through the synagogue’s sanctuary in a processional to the bimah (altar) for a candle-lighting ceremony.

Holocaust & Heroism: B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton Recognizes Holocaust Survivors

April 19th, 2017 | Alan H. Silverberg
On Sunday, April 23, 2017, from 9:30 am to Noon B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, Florida will hold their annual Yom Hashoah Ceremony also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day. Yom Hashoah or Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed as Israel’s day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust as a result of the actions carried out by Nazi Germany and its accessories, and for the Jewish resistance in that period. In Israel, it is a national memorial day.

Retreat is a Real Treat for B’nai Torah’s Mirochnick
Religious School Students in Boca Raton

April 5th, 2017 | Alan H. Silverberg
The theme of the annual youth retreat of the Mirochnick Religious School at B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, Florida was “Creating Community,” and addressing the question, why do we include some and exclude others, and the consequences that accompany that? Throughout the year leading up to the retreat, the K-12 religious school’s administration invited local area educators and community professionals to make presentations on various relevant social topics. This was made possible through the Mark S. Bertuch Make a Difference Program.

Boca Raton Rabbi Partners With Local Religious Leaders & Civil Rights Advocates

March 31st, 2017 | Alan H. Silverberg
The Boca Raton Interfaith Clergy Association, a group that provides for dialogue and learning among and between clergy and representatives of all faiths, hosted a “United We Serve” event on Thursday, March 30, at the Islamic Center of Boca Raton.

South Floridians, Including Rabbi Steinhardt, Honored at Israel Bonds Event

Februrary 28th, 2017 | Sergio Carmona
This February, South Florida Jewish leaders were recently honored at Israel Bonds’ annual International Prime Minister’s Club Dinner at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach.

Local 17-Year-Old Uses $5,000 Grant to End Hunger

February 10th, 2017 | Nikki Colonna
On Sunday, February the 5th, Isaac Leifert, a junior at Pinecrest High School reached out and invited elementary school students to join him and his classmates at the B’nai Torah Congregation to help him on his mission to end hunger in Boca Raton.

Upcoming Events at B’nai Torah Congregation

November 16th, 2016 | Elaine Siegell
Once again, B’nai Torah Congregation is ramping up for a season chock full of programs and events people of all ages, including the annual Concert Series, Author Forum, Mitzvah Day, and Scholar-in-Residence Series.

96-Year-Old Ben Ferencz Tried Nazi Mass Murderers And Still Dreams About World Peace

December 12th, 2016 | Mareike Aden
We first published this story on September 28, 2016. We’re bringing it back now because Benjamin Ferencz will speak tomorrow in Boca Raton at a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum public program at B’nai Torah Congregation. The discussion, A Relentless Pursuit: Bringing Holocaust Perpetrators to Justice, is free, but registration is required.

Florida Jewish Journal – Congregations Unite for Pluralism at Western Wall

November 1st, 2016 | Marvin Glassman
Representatives of Conservative and Reform congregations across South Florida signed a petition in support of religious pluralism at the Western Wall in Jerusalem as well as to listened to a panel discussion titled “The Western Wall: Mine, Yours Or Ours” on October 26th at Temple Kol Ami Emanu-El in Plantation, Florida before 200 people.

Local Synagogue, Charity Lead Hurricane Relief Efforts

October 24th, 2016 | Randall P. Lieberman & Sergio Carmona
Deeply concerned with the plight of people in Haiti in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, B’nai Torah Congregation — a large Conservative synagogue in Boca Raton – and Hands On Tzedakah, a Boca-based nonprofit, felt compelled to make a difference by providing significant emergency supplies.

Two Boca Rabbis Take Part In Prestigious Study Program

October 4th, 2016 | Randall P. Lieberman
Two prominent Boca Raton rabbis recently returned from their first summer residency in Jerusalem as part of the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Rabbinic Leadership Initiative. One of the most interesting parts of the initiative is the fact that rabbinic studies are conducted with rabbis across all denominations.

Melton School in Boca Graduates 40 Adults

June 27th, 2016 | Randall P. Lieberman
After nearly two years of studying together, the first graduating class of 40 graduates for the recently revived Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning in South Palm Beach County gathered with families and friends on Monday, June 6 for a moving graduation ceremony. The graduation ceremony took place at B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, where the school operates out of.

B’nai Torah Uses Counting of Omer to Help Flint, Mich.

May 16th, 2016 | Randall P. Lieberman
The Counting of the Omer (Sefirat HaOmer) is an ancient Jewish practice which involves the verbal counting of each of the 49 days between the Jewish holidays of Passover and Shavuot as stated in the Hebrew Bible. Rabbi David Steinhardt, the senior rabbi of B’nai Torah Congregation, has attempted to make the ancient practice of Counting the Omer modern and meaningful in today’s world.

B’nai Torah Hosts Passover Seder for Those in Recovery

April 26th, 2016 | Randall P. Lieberman
According to Jeff, of Boca Raton, the B’nai Torah Recovery Seder helped him relate his Jewish heritage to his journey in recovery from addiction. “I could really relate my people overcoming slavery to my journey to overcoming addiction,” said Jeff, who asked for his last name to be withheld. “The seder (festive Passover meal) also allowed me a nice place I could bring my family to enjoy a friendly evening. This was a great event for the Jewish recovery community in this area.”

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