Shavua Tov Temple Beth Shalom Congregation! Here is your monthly reminder to submit your content for the Chai Lites, whether that is a one-time or recurring piece like an article, photos, recipes, updates, or messages to your community. Send those in to our Editor, Ethan Feldman, at emaxsaun@gmail.com by Monday, August 31.
Hello Temple Beth Shalom Congregation and Friends, coming up is our final Summer, Lay-Led Shabbat Service, and it is another great one! On Friday, August 21 Bert Devorsetz is sharing his birthday as well as his traditional Reform Jewish Shabbat service leadership with us, so it will be uniquely special.
Hey everyone, remember to RSVP to Bert Devorsetz at bertdevorsetz@gmail.com so that he can get a count for how many pizzas to order for Friday, August 21 at 6:15 pm. It’s Bert’s birthday, so come celebrate with him before the service he will lead (and stay for birthday cake and ice cream at the Oneg Shabbat after!).
Dear Temple Beth Shalom Congregation and Friends, we eagerly look forward to sharing the 2026/5786-5787 High Holidays with you! Rav Guyster is busily planning a season of prayer, contemplation, and music for you. We wanted you to have the schedule so you can prepare to observe and worship with us.
If you are not yet a member of Temple Beth Shalom you are welcome to attend the High Holidays with us, and request you support our efforts to maintain our Jewish community at this time and all year round with a donation ($100 is standard, but we will accept more). We would love to consider your donation a partial payment of your first year of membership dues.
Please let us know as soon as you can with confirmation of what dates you plan to attend, and if you will accept one or more of the honors to fulfill on the bimah:
You will receive a prompt to come up to the bimah, so you won’t have to guess. Members and early responders will receive priority in assigning honors, but no better way to strengthen your relationship to your synagogue and community than by helping to deliver the service, so let us hear from you.
Remember to RSVP to Sandi Grinker if you are attending the Brotherhood/Sisterhood-sponsored Selichot Dinner and Service on September 5. Sandi is at sandigrinker@gmail.com or 863-207-7440.
Sharon Johnson is kindly coordinating the Yom Kippur Break Fast on September 21 again. Please support her efforts and contact her at WB2LfY@msn.com or 516-241-4512.
Hello Temple Beth Shalom Congregation and Friends, we have another wonderful experience planned for Shabbat morning this week. On Saturday, August 8 at 11:00 am the Grinker family brings you a service and Oneg Shabbat filled with warmth and friendship as they have for many Summers. Deborah Grinker will lead the ritual portion of the service with her thorough knowledge of the service and songs, and Sandra Grinker will give a talk on life as a Jew and as an Orthodox Jew. That is sure to be relatable and interesting! Following the service, Sandi arranged a lovely luncheon for us, so come by to share in it with us and to thank the Grinkers.
Shavuah Tov Temple Beth Shalom Congregation and Friends, another important issue of the Chai Lites is here! Your Board, Rabbi, Brotherhood/Sisterhood, and committees have been working hard all Summer to bring you the news from your synagogue and plan for the upcoming High Holidays. Look inside and see the many places where you can get involved:
Baruch Dayan HaEmet: Kenneth Treister
August 29, 2026 by urjtbs • Community
Dear Temple Beth Shalom Congregation,
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of longtime Temple Beth Shalom member Kenneth Treister, an internationally recognized architect, artist, sculptor, photographer, author, and educator.
Ken was a major figure in South Florida architecture whose work helped shape the visual character of the region. He was perhaps best known as the architect and sculptor of the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach, one of South Florida’s most significant places of remembrance. His many other notable projects included the Gumenick Chapel at Temple Israel, the Mayfair Shops in Coconut Grove, the Mayfair House Hotel & Garden, and numerous religious, residential, commercial, and public buildings. He was also a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and received Gold Medals from both the Florida AIA and the Miami chapter.
Ken also left a lasting and very personal legacy at Temple Beth Shalom. He designed and helped create our bimah, and his work will remain part of our congregation for generations to come. He enjoyed his years in Winter Haven and worshipping with our congregation, and we will miss his presence among us.
Our hearts are with Ken’s family and all who knew and loved him. He leaves behind a remarkable legacy not only through his work, but through the countless lives and communities he touched.
May the memory of Kenneth Treister be for a blessing.
For more information about Ken’s life and legacy, including funeral information, please see his obituary in the Miami Herald:
Kenneth Treister’s obituary in the Miami Herald