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Lay Shabbat Service — Sat June 13, 11 AM

June 11, 2026 by •

Hello Temple Beth Shalom Congregation and Friends, the Summer Lay Shabbat Services series is soon to begin!  Our first of the season occurs this Saturday, June 13 at 11:00 am.  These member-led services are a chance to be with your congregation and Jewish community in a relaxed and welcoming setting.  Members, friends, visitors, children, everyone are welcome and encouraged to attend.  Margo Fleisher and Elliott Bond are scheduled to lead the Shabbat service, and our Professor Howard Kerner will give his talk: “Jews in Florida, and Jewish Women’s Role in the Spread of Mah Jong“.  That sounds like us, I can’t wait to hear it!
 
We’d love to see you, but if you aren’t up to coming in or are visiting from afar, Zoom will be available, please contact us for the link.

June 2026 Chai Lites

June 1, 2026 by • ,

Hello Temple Beth Shalom Congregation and Friends, Summer is approaching and we are shifting gears, but we are not slowing down!  The June 2026 Chai Lites contains all of the content we all came to enjoy, with columns from our President, Uriah Rose, and from Rav Guyster.  We also have our full schedule of activities with upcoming Lay Services to share with you.  Thank you so much everyone who contributed pieces, messages, and doings for us to appreciate.  Special thanks to our Editor, Ethan Feldman for doing such a great job.  We look forward to seeing you again in the shul and around the community.

2026June Chai Lites

Brotherhood Sisterhood dinner

May 27, 2026 by • ,

Sunday May 31st at 5 p.m . The Brotherhood Sisterhood are going out to dinner. We will be having dinner at Ling’s Buffet. All are welcome to come. Address is 4320 South Florida Ave Lakeland. Please let Sandi Grinker (sandigrinker@gmail.com) know if you can attend.

Request for Chai Lites Content

May 27, 2026 by • ,

Hello Temple Beth Shalom Congregation, your Chai Lites Editor, Ethan Feldman is requesting the monthly and unique items from you to publish in our upcoming June issue.  If you have a column, update, thank you message, photo, or have something else to say, send it to Ethan at emaxsaun@gmail.com by this Sunday, May 31.

Shabbat Morning — Sat May 9

May 8, 2026 by •

Hello Temple Beth Shalom Congregation and Friends, here are events planned for this coming Shabbat:

 
This coming Shabbat’s Temple Beth Shalom events begin with Rav Guyster’s last TorahStudy with us until the Fall!  You will want to hear his remarks so you can continue your study and contemplation through the Summer.  Torah Study begins at 9:15 am on Saturday, May 9.
 
The Shabbat Morning Service follows after a short break at 10:15.  In memory of Varda Rotenberg who was recently laid to rest, music will include “Jerusalem of Gold” (“Yerushalayim Shel Zahav“), a song of Varda’s homeland.  You can hear it sung by Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Cantor Dan Mutlu here, and you can follow along with the lyrics and translation here. 
Varda’s sons, Victor and Eli, will be with us this Shabbat morning for a reception in their mother’s honor.  Please attend to thank them for sharing Varda with us all these years and to share memories.

Brotherhood/Sisterhood Potluck and Movie: The Bielski Brothers — Sunday May 17, 5 pm

May 5, 2026 by • ,

Hello Temple Beth Shalom, you are invited to a Pot Luck Dinner and Movie Night on Sunday May 17, beginning at 5:00 pm.  Bring a dish to share and enjoy the inspiring and informative video about the Bielski partisans, who rescued over 1,200 people from the Nazis in what was then German-occupied Poland during WWII.  You can engage with some of our professor members of the congregation in discussion about the Bielskis too!  This event is organized by your Brotherhood/Sisterhood.
 
P.S.:  Don’t forget to bring those shoes for the Shoe Drive Fundraiser!  We’re almost at our goal!

May Chai Lites

May 1, 2026 by •

Good afternoon Temple Beth Shalom members and friends,

Chai Lites for May 2026 is here.

A big thank you to everyone who contributed this month — including President Uriah Rose, Rav Guyster, and all those who helped share what’s happening in our community. And thank you to Ethan Feldman for assembling this month’s edition.

We hope you enjoy reading it and staying connected with everything going on at Temple Beth Shalom.

2026May Chai Lites

Baruch Dayan haEmet: Varda Rotenberg

April 29, 2026 by •

Dear Temple Beth Shalom Congregation, our hearts are broken anew as we share the news of the passing of another of our cherished members, Varda Rotenberg.  Varda was a member of Temple Beth Shalom for many years and was a delight to have in services, in the religious school, at Torah Study sessions, and in many other activities.  She was welcoming to all and had an easy, refreshing sense of humor.  She was a treasure to our Jewish community and a dear friend to many of us.  We were fortunate to have Varda among us to share her firsthand experiences of the formation of the state of Israel and other historical events.  She was an informative and engaging presenter for our Summer lay services, with talks about the history of Israel and about ancient sites.  We will miss her so much, and will keep her memory.

Varda’s funeral is coming up quickly on this Friday, May 1 at 10:00 am.  The location is Rolling Hills Cemetery, at 4810 Tilden Road in Winter Haven.  Your attendance is important to us so that we can bid farewell to Varda together and to ensure that she has a minyan. 
 
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HaMamkom yenachem etchem b’toch sh’ar avelai Tziyon v’Yerushalayim.
May God comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

Interfaith Panel Discussion — Thurs Apr 30, 6:00 PM

April 28, 2026 by •

This Thursday, Rav Guyster will be speaking and representing the Jewish voice at the Interfaith Coalition’s “Prayer and Spirituality” panel. It starts at 6pm.

More information – Facebook Event

Shoe Drive Fundraiser Update

April 28, 2026 by •

We are almost at our goal on the shoe drive! Please don’t stop now! We need 325 pairs of shoes to meet our goal of 100 bags or 2500 pounds of shoes!

Call 6 or 7 of your friends, neighbors, family members and acquaintances and simply tell them about our fundraiser. Ask them if they have any shoes that they can donate to our cause. (gently worn men’s, women’s, children’s shoes, sandals, sneakers, crocs, golf shoes etc.)

Just think, if 6 or 7 people can donate 3 pair of shoes each, you will have collected 18 – 21 pair of shoes without leaving your couch. Add to that the shoes you are donating and you will have collected almost 25 pair of shoes if not more.

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