At Beth David, we take great pride in personalizing every single life cycle event.
Baby namings are offered to everyone whether or not they are members. Our namings generally take place at our Friday evening services or Saturday morning Tot Shabbat. Each family receives a beautiful certificate with their child’s Hebrew name. The rabbi likes to meet personally with each family in order to personalize the naming ceremony.
In Judaism, our boys and girls become adults at the age of 13. To celebrate their new responsibilities to God and community, we offer a meaningful Bar/Bat Mitzvah service. After years studying in religious school, our youth begin private tutorial with our Bnei Mitzvah Education Larry Matalon. With gentleness and love of Torah, Larry guides our students through Torah cantillation, Haftarah, and our Shabbat prayers. Our rabbi personally meets with our students and parents for a series of meetings to learn about the Torah portion, draft a D’var Torah (speech), review honors of the service, conduct a full rehearsal and takes the time to get to know each and every student. Our Cantorial Soloist also meets with each family in order to choose musical selections that are meaningful for them. The actual service is led by our Bar/Bat Mitzvah accompanied by music along with our Cantorial Soloist and Rabbi.
Weddings are always very joyous at our synagogue. Our Rabbi and Cantorial Soloist conduct beautiful weddings that reflect the uniqueness of each and every couple. We have a beautiful sanctuary with stained glass windows that make for a wonderful setting.
In times of loss, our Rabbi, Cantorial Soloist, and members of our synagogue community come together to support our families. Our rabbi provides pastoral counseling and support to our members and conducts a service that is always a loving tribute of the deceased. Afterward, Sisterhood Mitzvah Corp. assists with Shiva set up and needs.
At Beth David, we take pride in supporting one another in times of loss and celebrating in times of joy.
In tenth grade, our students meet weekly with our rabbi. The sessions are geared towards increasing their Judaic knowledge, generating discussions, and helping them to see that Judaism is relevant to all aspects of life. Our rabbi tailors her curriculum to be responsive to her students from year to year. As part of the confirmation year, she invites students to her home to celebrate Sukkot and Hanukkah, invites special speakers, and involves the youth in other holiday celebrations at the synagogue. The confirmation service in the spring is a service created by the youth, led by them, and reflects their thoughts on Judaism and the world. Our confirmation service is accompanied by the voices of our adult choir, our Cantorial Soloist, and musically talented youth.