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At Temple Beth El, we believe that young people often learn best from other young people, so we have created a madrachim (teacher’s assistants) program to give our younger students a chance to study with older students. Students who become b’nai mitzvah are eligible to become madrachim in our Hebrew School. As madrachim, they work closely with our teachers and younger students to create and teach lessons at Hebrew School each week. They earn money and shoulder significant responsibility while developing close relationships with the younger students. It’s a great experience for all involved! 

The brainchild of Janika Eckert and Arwen Roth, the Rosh Chodesh Women’s Group celebrates each new moon by bringing the women of Temple Beth El together for talking and noshing. Newcomers are always welcome! For more information, contact Janika (jeckert@johnnyseeds.com) or Arwen (arwenroth@yahoo.com). 

Ice Storm Wine Tasting

Held each winter, the Ice Storm Wine Tasting is our biggest fundraiser of the year. The adults of our community join together to taste fine wines from around the world. The Wine Tasting started in 1998 after the huge ice storm that shut down Maine for weeks. Temple members thought we should join together to celebrate the end of the ice with some wine and food and the Ice Storm Wine Tasting was born. Starting with some food and drinks, it has grown to an event for the entire community featuring amazing wines, food, a silent auction and live music. We hope you’ll join us for this annual event!

Maine Conference for Jewish Life

Temple members participate actively in the Maine Conference for Jewish Life. This conference is sponsored by the Center for Small Town Jewish Life and held each June in Waterville. The Maine Conference for Jewish Life is a pluralistic opportunity for superior Jewish learning and joyous celebration in central Maine. This conference brings Jews from across the region together in order to gain familiarity with the jewels of Jewish civilization, convene with other Jews from around the state, exchange best practices for crafting successful rural Jewish lives, experience the benefits and challenges of celebrating in a pluralistic environment, and revel in Torah learning. Temple members teach and can be found sitting together in the dining hall discussing what they have learned. The Conference is sponsored by the Center for Small Town Jewish Life. 

Spending Time Together

At TBE we like be with one another. Whether heading down for Jewish Community Night at the Sea Dogs game, spending time catching up after Shabbat services, attending potluck dinners and our annual meeting or hanging out after Hebrew school you will find a community that enjoys getting to know one another. We have a variety of special programs each year including guest speakers and special holiday events. All of these are opportunities for us to build community and get to know one another. 

Temple Teens

Each month our Temple Teens take Rabbi Asch on an adventure — they have showed her the zaniness of Old Orchard Beach, challenged her to broom ball before a Portland Pirates hockey game, schooled her in bowling, and more. These day trips build camaraderie and a sense of belonging among our teens, and they keep the rabbi in touch with the nuances of modern teen culture. 

We partner with the Center for Small Town Jewish Life to create opportunities for our teens to connect with other Jewish youth and college students from throughout Maine. For more information please contact Rabbi Asch.

The Urban Dictionary defines “nosh ‘n schmooze” as “a gathering of friends at a favorite local restaurant where everyone eats and shares stories with each other. Usually occurs at a place that serves bagels.” That is exactly what we do! Once a month, Rabbi Asch hosts an informal discussion of all things Jewish over bagels and coffee at Bagel Mainea, the best little bagel shop in Augusta. Come schmooze with her!  

Conceived and coordinated by congregants Nancy Ross and Gail Fels, the Temple Beth El Book Club meets every other month to discuss a book with Jewish themes or values. Past books include Lucette Lagnado’s The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: A Jewish Family’s Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World and Amos Oz’s Between Friends. Please email Gail (gpfels@aol.com) or Nancy (nancyjeanneross@gmail.com) to learn more about how to join up.

As Jews, we are encouraged to pursue tikkun olam (repairing the world) — each of us has a responsibility to help make the world a better place. In the Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Tarfon teaches, “It is not your obligation to complete the task, but neither are you at liberty to desist from it entirely.” Social action matters to us at Temple Beth El — through social action, each of us can help repair the world. We offer year-round opportunities for members to get involved to improve our Maine communities.

Beth El in Action

Beth El in Action is our community organizing initiative. Members of the Temple have organized with members of the interfaith community to make our schools more welcoming of minority religions. We have worked with four local school boards and though our work they have passed religious accommodation policies. These policies say that schools will not schedule important events (back to school night, picture day, homecoming, field trips, etc.) on important religious holidays and will allow students extra time to make up work they have missed. We are now meeting with principals to talk about how we can help to educate school staff about religious diversity. 

Volunteering

Our dedicated group of Temple Volunteers opens up Addie’s Attic once a week. This free clothing bank serves those in need in the Augusta area. We also run a High Holiday food drive, and collect diapers for Basic Essentials Pantry. We feed the hungry every 5th Saturday in partnership with the local Catholic church. We are privileged to work with our faith partners to give back to our community.

Work with Immigrants and Refugees

Temple members are actively involved with the Capital Area New Mainers Project or CANMP. 

Hebrew School–9:30am to 12 on Sundays

We are proud of our Hebrew School, which offers enthusiastic teachers, small class sizes, and a vibrant curriculum.  If you are interested in enrolling your child, please contact Rabbi Asch to arrange a meeting.

At each Hebrew School session, there are four distinct parts to each student’s learning, all of which are important to helping to raise our children as educated, “menchy” Jews with a strong sense of Jewish identity and community.

1. All School Time

We set aside time for our students to spend with other Jewish kids and build a community of Jewish friends and adults. During these diverse classes, teachers also incorporate activities which help our students get to know one another better and develop friendships. Past classes have included cooking, Jewish music, art, drama, photography, games and more!

2. Judaic Content

We want our students to have a broad knowledge of Jewish texts, history, and values. Our youngest students study a different holiday or value every session; our elementary school students work with the Chai curriculum to teach Jewish values. Our b’nai mitzvah students focus on different modules created by our four teachers.

3. Hebrew

Having a basic knowledge of Hebrew helps our students pray in our community and in Jewish communities they encounter for the rest of their lives. We use Hebrew Through Movement program to teach vocabulary and understanding. Students also master letters, and learn the meanings behind the prayers as well as basic Hebrew vocabulary and root words.

4. Prayer

Each week we have Circle Time, which is a prayer service that helps to build community and teach students the basic elements of prayer. This is a vital part of our day together. Students learn the prayers by participating actively in Circle Time; parents can help by following along with their children. This is also time to learn the structure of the service and basic prayer choreography (when to sit, stand, and bow). Finally, it is a time to have a group teaching about a Jewish value, a big question, a ritual, and other important topics

Our adult learning is now hybrid. Check our calendar for the latest schedule and your weekly email for the login information and special announcements. To get added to the weekly email list, contact the Temple office (bethelaugusta@gmail.com). 

Daf Yomi

In January 2020, we started a Talmud study each week before Torah study. We meet at 10:00am to look at part of the Talmud from the last week of the Daf Yomi cycle. Some participants are studying on their own each week and some just join us on Saturday. There is no need to have prior experience with Talmud study and all the texts are provided.

Torah Study

We are a community that loves learning — in a synagogue with fewer than 110 families, we regularly have 15 people show up for Torah Study on Saturday mornings. Rabbi Asch leads us as we read, discuss, question, argue, and explore the richness and complexity of the Torah and other foundational texts of Judaism. All are welcome to attend  at 10:30am and to join us for Shabbat lunch after Torah study. 

Soup and Study

This popular monthly study features a variety of topics from bikkur holim (caring for the sick) to Reform Responsa to High Holiday texts. It always has lively discussion, as well as soup, salad and fruit. Be sure to RSVP for this program so we will have enough soup!

Our community celebrates all the traditional Jewish life cycle events. Rabbi Asch is always available to both members and non-members to discuss her participation in your event.

Please email Rabbi Asch (rabbiasch@gmail.com) for more information. 

• Brit milah/Baby naming: We celebrate the birth of children with a traditional ceremony welcoming them into the covenant. Rabbi Asch designs each ceremony  with the input of the parents to make it meaningful and personal for the families. Rabbi Asch is available to do namings for families who are not affiliated with the synagogue. Please contact her. She would love to work with you on designing a special ritual.

• Bar Mitzvah/Bat Mitzvah: Rabbi Asch officiates at these meaningful ceremonies which are crafted to meet the needs of each child. With a small number of ceremonies each year, Rabbi Asch is able to get to know the students well. In addition to attending Hebrew school, students study with Rabbi Asch for nine months leading up to the ceremony. They lead the service and at least three aliyot from the Torah. They offer a teaching about the Torah portion and do a haftarah project. Additionally they become part of the community by attending services and holiday celebrations and participating in a mitzvah project. If you are new to our community, please be in touch with Rabbi Asch if you are interested in a Bar or Bat Mitzvah for your child. 

• Conversion to Judaism: We welcome all people who are interested to converting to Judaism. For more information please look at the “Converting to Judaism” page under the “Join” tab.

• Weddings: Rabbi Asch officiates at weddings for members and non-members who choose to get married in Maine. Please contact her as soon as possible to find a date when she is available. [It is best to be in touch with her before booking a venue.] Rabbi Asch works to get to know each couple she marries. She will do 4-5 pre-wedding counseling sessions with each couple and work with them to craft a ceremony that is meaningful. 

• Funerals: The Temple community is here for you when you experience a death. Rabbi Asch is available to officiate at funerals and the community comes together for shivah minyans at the family’s home or the Temple. Rabbi Asch does funerals all over the state of Maine. If you have a death, please contact her as soon as possible to make arrangements. We also have yizkor services four times a year. Rabbi Asch studies mishna with people on the yahrziet of their loved ones. This is a traditional form of honoring those who have died.