Community Relations

In Our Own Backyard

Once again this year, Temple Beth El was proud to participate in the In Our Own Backyard teen interfaith experience, sponsored by Mecklenburg Ministries. The program brought together young people from all backgrounds to explore social issues in Charlotte and explore each other's religious traditions, including visits to various houses of worship. The group visited Temple Beth El for Friday night services. We are proud of Ben Davis, a member of LIBERTY, who was this year's Beth El delegate to the program. For more information about the program, click here.

Cantor Bernard stands alongside the In Our Own Backyard participants after they experienced an exciting Temple Beth El Shabbat Service.

Cantor Bernard points out and explains important scripture in the Torah to IOOBY participants.

Cantor Bernard demonstrates the important use of a Yad (ritual pointer) to IOOBY participants after explaining the significance of the Torah.

Clergy (Rabbi Streiffer, Rabbi Schindler and Cantor Bernard) lead Temple Beth El congregants in prayer as they sing Hinei Ma Tov. This was a dynamic Shabbat Service.

New Youth Director/Assistant Director of Education, Andy Harkavy (center), greets and hangs out with participants.


 


Temple Beth El and JCSU Launch Rabin-King Initiative in the Queen City
From crossroadscharlotte.org
Monday, April 12, 2010

Mazel Tov...

In acknowledgment of the outstanding work that Sid Sussman has done with Mecklenburg Ministries, and as co-chair of our Community Relations Committee, he has been awarded with the Mecklenburg Ministries Bridge Builder Award.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS

Temple Beth El takes pride in its active role in the Charlotte interfaith and broader community.  Our Temple was selected by Mecklenburg Ministries as the 2008 Interfaith Congregation of the Year.  We have a vibrant Community Relations Committee that is dedicated to providing forums for the exploration of different religions, through a variety of educational programs.  As we learn about other faiths, we educate the broader community about our own.


COMPARATIVE RELIGION SERIES - The Community Relations Committee sponsors an annual Comparative Religion Series which runs on Tuesdays in the winter and draws upwards of 200 people each week to learn about Judaism, Christianity, Islam and many more faiths faiths and their respective views on pertinent issues in the our lives and in the world today. 


MYERS PARK BAPTIST CHURCH DIALOGUES - Beginning in 1996, this Christian-Jewish Dialogue has been a collaborative effort between Myers Park Baptist Church and Temple Beth El, striving to foster mutual study and conversation on topics of interest to our faith communities and to the community at large. Through the past twelve years, many internationally renowned Biblical scholars have participated in our dialogue and in the past two years, our conversation has broadened to include Masjid Ash Shahhed, a local mosque.

TEMPLE BETH EL /MYERS PARK BAPTIST /ASH SHAHEED MOSQUE DIALOGUE - 2009 Schedule: Individual programs to be announced throughout the year.  The Families of Abraham Dialogues offer all participants an opportunity to share, compare and appreciate their own faith while learning more about the Christian and Muslim faiths. Building upon this special relationship between the three houses of worship, we’ll discover what common traditions we share and how we can promote greater religious tolerance. For additional information contact the Temple Beth El Co-Chairs Martin Multer and Tim Martin.

SPEAKERS BUREAU - As one ascends our Ladders of Learning educational program, one becomes not only a proficient student of Judaism but a teacher as well. Many of our congregants participate in this program by lecturing to school classes, church groups, senior homes and more about the Jewish faith.

CHURCH VISITS - Temple Beth El has wonderful relationships with an abundance of religious houses of worship in our community. From visits to African American churches on Martin Luther King weekend, to visits to Myers Park Baptist when our clergy speak at services there, to simply visiting other house of faith as Beth El representatives, you can help to build Beth El's bridges to the community beyond.

For more information on any of these programs, please contact Sid Sussman at sisu@carolina.rr.com.