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Community Involvement

At Temple Beth Sholom, we believe that being involved and engaged with our larger Topeka community is a core value. We are a part of many interfaith organizations, and even host an annual “Blintze Brunch” (pictured here) for the whole city to come try some traditional Jewish food!

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Our New Rabbi

We are proud to welcome Rabbi Samuel Stern and his wife Dr. Caryn Stern to our community. Rabbi Stern has been recognized as a rising leader in the Reform movement by organizations like AIPAC and the Shalom Hartman Institute, which have selected him for exclusive fellowships. You can read his published work in the CCAR Journal and on 929 English as part of the 929 Project. When he is not working, Rabbi Stern enjoys writing, playing and watching sports, volunteering, and smoking barbecue brisket.

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Our Congregants Volunteer!

Temple Beth Sholom is successful because all our congregants offer their time and effort to ensure our community has everything it needs.

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Love of Torah

Whether dancing with the Torah on Simchat Torah or studying the Torah on Shabbat Morning, Temple Beth Sholom seeks to root all of our families in the values of our sacred tradition.

 

DONATIONS:

Make donations and contributions to Temple at this secure link (In the message box on the checkout page, put what the donation is for): https://tbs.convertri.com/donate

Check out our upcoming May/June 2023 Trip to Israel by CLICKING HERE!

Buy Blintze Brunch meals online click on this link:  www.tbsgiving.com

 

 

 

 

 

From the Union For Reform Judaism / Reform Movement

Why Israel Celebrates the Ethiopian Jewish Holiday Sigd

Why Israel Celebrates the Ethiopian Jewish Holiday Sigd jemerman

Jewish Life Around the World
sigd
For many generations, the Beta Israel had longed to reach Jerusalem in a quest to renew their covenant with God and for spiritual redemption. So strong was their desire that they created a holiday as a time to pray for this miracle. They called it Sigd (meaning "worship") and celebrated it on the 50th day after Yom Kippur. This year it is celebrated today, November 4.

For Some of Us the Holidays Are Just…Hard

For Some of Us the Holidays Are Just…Hard jemerman

Death and Mourning
star of david starry lights
As we head into the holiday season, I am acutely aware of how much different this year is going to be than previous ones. I will be celebrating without my mom for the first time. My mother died in January 2021, and I'm still dealing with the unexpected waves of grief that wash over me, sometimes out of nowhere. As I head into this first winter holiday season without her, I'm not quite sure I know what to expect, other than everything is going to be very different.

Enjoy A Crockpot Shabbat

Enjoy A Crockpot Shabbat jemerman

Entree Recipes
Photo of a chicken stew dish in a bow
As the weather begins to get chillier, many home cooks pull out their trusty slow cookers to create easy yet warm dishes. Slow cooking is nothing new. It hasn't had staying power with Jewish communities just because the resulting food is delicious; it also allowed observant Jews to keep Shabbat by kindling a fire before sundown on Friday and keeping food warm until Saturday afternoon.

The Cost of Free Land

The Cost of Free Land jemerman

Secular Holidays
The author's Great-Great-Uncle Louie Sinykin posing with men in Dakota garb in South Dakota's Black Hills. Date unknown.
When I was a child growing up in the 1980s, the story I learned about Thanksgiving followed the classic script: it highlighted amity between the Pilgrims and their Indigenous neighbors. Due to this connection, the hunger of the European settlers was met with squash and turkey.