The greatest Jewish philosopher of the 20th century, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, said: “We pray to God not for the right answers, but for the strength to ask the right questions.” The question we pose for those who choose to enter these portals is: How do we preserve and transmit the 4000-year curriculum of Jewish history, belief and practice as we move into an age characterized by “web sites,” “youtube,” “internet access,” and countless advances in the world of technology.

The answer we at Temple Israel offer is that all our efforts to communicate in the 21st century support the traditional pillars of Judaism: prayer, study, worship, visiting the sick, celebrating Shabbat and life cycle events with joy, and welcoming all who come to us in peace with great affection and love. Beginning our 86th year at 1901 Flager, as the oldest Reform congregation in West Palm Beach, our community is rightly proud of its continuing contributions to liberal Judaism and to the spirit of inclusiveness in all its worship services and synagogue programs.

As a congregation of over 400 families, we are large enough to sustain a beautiful temple edifice; we are small enough to work with your children in our religious school, and to prepare them individually for their Bnei Mitzvah. Our staff is equally committed to teach courses in adult education, including a Sabbath morning Torah study session and other programs of academic and topical interest.

Most important, we are here. We answer the telephone when there is joy in your life; we answer the telephone when there is tsurris. We are never too busy to attend to your personal concerns.

So explore our website, and then call any of our staff for more information about Temple Israel. That includes me.

B’Shalom,

Rabbi Richard Chapin