Temple Beth El is a congregation of learners. Its Ladders of Learning program has created a challenging and meaningful educational program for every level of learner -- from the person seeking a "Taste of Judaism" to the one seeking the wisdom to become a Jewish teacher to adults and children alike or a leader of worship.
 
At Temple Beth El, we recognize the depth of learning, the power of relationships, and the commitment to practicing Judaism that comes from ongoing classes.  Hence many of the learning opportunities (or rungs) in our Ladders of Learning program extend to two years.  
 
Each year, more than sixty students enter our Ladders of Learning program as they take our Taste of Judaism classes that are advertised in our local newspapers and offered two times a year.  Many of the students continue up the ladder taking Introduction to Judaism classes and moving into our Conversion program.  As many students have progressed through the program, our Anshei Mitzvah curriculum has had to be transformed from simply a class on basic Judaism to a two year curriculum on liturgy and prayer. Following their Anshei Mitzvah ceremony, students enter the ACT program - our two year Achievement Certificate in Torah.  In that time, on a bi-weekly basis they study in chevruta with guided texts that we send them and attend a monthly lecture with the clergy.   The next level, our Scholars Institute, provides biweekly chevruta with the clergy based on rabbinic texts with an additional monthly lecture. And the highest rung of our ladder supports our congregants as they become Teachers of Torah in the community and school, and as they progress to be leaders of worship.
 
In recognizing that a deep and ongoing commitment to Jewish learning is not practical for all of our congregants, we offer many additional learning opportunities such as individual lectures, three to ten session thematic workshops, drop-in weekly Torah study, bi-weekly lectures for seniors, and multiple scholar-in-residence opportunities.  Our weekly congregational email opens with  "A Touch of Torah" - a brief teaching on the weekly parashah shared by one of our professional staff.
 
The fruits of our labors are readily evident.  Scholars Institute participants are teaching Torah study.  Past Anshei Mitzvah students are reading Torah or presenting Divrei Torah at our monthly Congregational Shabbat services. Our President and Vice Presidents regularly bring teachings on the weekly parashah into their presentations whether it is in presenting a Dvar Torah, a talk on our capital campaign, or in presenting our Temple budget (at our annual meeting our VP in charge of finance opened by making reference to the half shekel contributions made by the Israelites to the mishkan in Exodus). Recently, a bereft father presenting an award to a confirmation student in memory of his daughter spoke of the Israelites wandering in the desert and a patient in an email spoke of the power of one of our clergy's blessings prior to his surgery since the parashah at the moment was Naso and Priestly Benediction.  Torah is becoming more and more a part of the fabric of our congregation.