Community

From the celebration of new life to saying Kaddish, Temple Beth Am is the center of our community's Jewish life and your spiritual family for honoring life cycle events as well as the Jewish holy days. 

Our members, staff, and rabbis assist in the preparation and celebration of Bar and Bat Mitzvah, confirmations, weddings, brit and baby namings, and sitting shiva. 

During the year, participate with your community in our ritual services, including Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hanukkah, and Purim, which honor and celebrate the history of our people.

This is an opportunity to recognize a congregant who has had a significant impact on Temple Beth Am community life. In 1988, the Beth Am Board of Directors established two awards in honor of two notable founding members: the Walter Lowen Award for outstanding service toward the enrichment of Temple Beth Am and the Seymour Kaplan Award for the enhancement of the religious and educational life of the temple. In 2016, the Board reevaluated and decided to combine the two awards into one. Here is a list of past recipients.

Submit your nomination for the 2020 Lowen-Kaplan Award here. 

2019 Recipient: Laurie Stusser-McNeil

According to this year’s Lowen-Kaplan Awards Committee – Sandy Berger, Barbara Droker, Jeremiah Isgur, Roger Kohn, and Ronnie Shure (last year’s award recipient) – “Laurie Stusser-McNeil has always been in the center of our community. She was in the center of our Caring Community Initiative to guide us in delivering healing challot to our members. She was a key member in welcoming Rabbi Ruth A. Zlotnick and Cantor Victor Geigner and their families into our community. She was in the center of our search for social justice. She was in the center of fundraising activities. She was a member of our Board of Directors. The real question should be whether anyone at Temple Beth Am has not been touched by her kindness and caring.”

Beth Am Communications Lead Rachel Román asked Laurie why winning the Lowen-Kaplan Award and being a part of Temple Beth Am are so meaningful. Read the Q&A here.