Rabbi Alexander Davis / adavis@bethelsynagogue.org / 952.873.7310
Rabbi Julie Schwarzwald, B’ Mitzvah Director / jschwarzwald@bethelsynagogue.org / 952.873.7313
Rabbi Matt Goldberg / mgoldberg@bethelsynagogue.org / 952.873.7311
Liz Rappaport, Membership & Engagement / lrappaport@bethelsynagogue.org / 952.873.7314
Forrest Yesnes, Director Youth Engagement / fyesnes@bethelsynagogue.org / 952.873.7306
Sara Confeld, Director of Aleph Preschool / sconfeld@bethelsynagogue.org / 952.873.7319
• Celebrate your child’s birth with a bris (8th day) or simchat bat (“Celebration of a Daughter,” usually on a Sunday within the first few months). Contact rabbis for more information.
• Early Childhood Jewish Family Education – 8 sessions every fall and spring
• Tot Shabbat – monthly on Friday mornings
• sh’ma al hamita – Jewish Bedtime rituals
• birkat yeledim – bless your children as Shabbat enters every Friday night
Leading an intentionally Jewish life can be expensive – but it’s worth it! Start financially planning for Jewish preschool, Smith Jewish Academy or Talmud Torah, Beth El B’mitzvah planning and more. Reach out to clergy for questions and support.
From infant care starting at 12 weeks through PreK, Aleph Preschool is proud to offer a year round nurturing Jewish environment that focuses on children’s social, emotional, and physical development.
Beth El has free, drop-in childcare on Shabbat mornings and a “Pray & Play Space” adjacent to the main sanctuary where you can attend services while your little ones play.
Afternoon supplementary school
that teaches basic Hebrew reading
and about holidays, history, values,
and Israel withing the embrace of
Jewish community.
www.talmudtorahmpls.org
There is nothing quite like Jewish
summer camp to ignite a love
of Judaism and forge lifelong
friendships.
Join a cohort of families from Beth El
to attend Family Camp at the end of
the summer! This is a wonderful,
subsidized family vacation and a
chance to bond with other families
while exploring camp
Check out these popular choices:
Herzl Camp: www.herzlcamp.org
Camp Ramah in Wisconsin: www.ramahwisconsin.com
A full time, dual curriculum (general
and Jewish studies) day school
dedicated to providing a solid
foundation for academic success,
love of learning, and commitment
to community.
www.smithja.org
Kindergarten through 4th grade
students are welcomed in BESTY,
our Shabbat morning camp-style
youth group program. In BESTY,
our students incorporate what they
already know about Jewish life and
build onto it, exploring Torah games,
lessons, and stories while growing
close with Beth El peers – all inside
the magic and ruach of Shabbat
Kadima is our 5th through 7th grades
youth group that gathers monthly for
social programming on- and offsite.
Jewish education at Beth El does not stop at the B’Mitzvah! Teens are invited to enroll in a number of classes. These offerings vary from weekly to monthly or seasonal cadence and fall all across the spectrum of lighter to deeper learning. Topics include justice,
Teens who have become B’Mitzvah are invited to turn around and support the programs that raised them: Childcare, BESTY, and TaRBuT.
USY is the youth branch of the Conservative Movement – and started right here at Beth El! BERUSY is the Beth El chapter, in which our teens spend time together at weekly Lounge Nights and monthly gatherings on- and offsite. Regional USY events take place a few times each year.
Beth El is eager to connect teens with a school-year or summer program across the country – or beyond. Be in touch with staff to find fun and meaningful travel opportunities.
As teens approach high school graduation and begin imagining their next Jewish communities, we encourage them to choose universities with Hillel and Chabad programs and to even consider a gap year in a Jewish organization. Oh, and don’t forget to come back and visit!
Parents/Guardians – As you become empty-nesters, Beth El remains your home! Connect with chavurot so you maintain your community in our beloved congregation, as your children do the same elsewhere.
Meeting weekly at Beth El on Shabbat mornings, our TaRBuT program concentrates on the how-tos and whys of synagogue and home skills and builds community. In the process, we instill in our children a moral compass, spiritual outlook, love of Jewish tradition and commitment to the Jewish people.