Lifecycle

As you experience significant moments in your life, the Temple Israel clergy are here to sweeten times of joy and to comfort during times of pain. With wisdom gleaned from our tradition, they help make these life experiences more memorable and meaningful. Please contact the clergy for more information about Jewish teachings surrounding important lifecycle events.

For more information about or lifecycle rituals, visit ReformJudaism.org

For information about renting our facilities for lifecycle events, or any other, please see our Facilities rentals information

Ceremonies for Babies
Judaism offers special ceremonies for parents to express their wonder and gratitude at the arrival of a new baby to the family. They also serve to welcome the child into the covenant of the Jewish People. The Brit Milah, the rite of circumcision, is an ancient Jewish custom that is performed on a healthy baby boy on the eighth day of life.

A mohel or a doctor can do this procedure. The ceremony includes giving the child his Hebrew name. The Simchat Bat, a baby naming ceremony, is a way to mark the arrival of a baby daughter. She is introduced to the congregation and given her Hebrew name. Please contact the clergy if you have any questions about these rituals or would like to make arrangements for a Brit Milah or Simchat Bat for your baby.

Overview: About Baby Ceremonies
Choosing a Name

Consecration
The Consecration service is a tradition that was developed by the Reform movement to mark the beginning of a child’s formal Jewish education. Most children are consecrated in kindergarten on Simchat Torah. Students who join our religious school at later grades are welcome to participate as well. At this service, children receive a small Torah with a cover made by a parent or a loved one that becomes a treasured keepsake. 

B’nai Mitzvah
Traditionally, being a bar/bat mitzvah meant that one was obligated to fulfill the mitzvot, or commandments. Today, boys and girls may mark this event by leading services, reading from the Torah, or doing community service projects. The celebration of a bar/bat mitzvah signifies that the young man or woman is beginning and will continue to function as an active and responsible Jew in the synagogue and in the wider Jewish community.

At the conclusion of the service, families may elect to host an oneg for the congregation. Should your family wish to host a party in celebration of your child’s B’nai Mitzvah, please note that our minhag (custom) is to include every classmate in your child’s grade.

Please review the B'nai Mitzvah Schedule and Expectations for your child.

Please review our Kiddush Luncheon Guidelines prior to making any plans!

Confirmation
Our religious school is a Pre-Kindergarten through 12^th grade program with several milestone life cycle events along the way. Confirmation is a special life cycle event, created in the modern era, to mark a time in a young Jewish person’s life where they confirm their commitment to Judaism and the Jewish people. At Temple Israel this takes place for 10th grade on or near the spring festival of Shavuot. In reaching this milestone, our young adults stand symbolically at the foot of Mount Sinai where the Jewish people received the commandments. Confirmation students spend the year studying with our rabbis. At the Confirmation Service, students lead us, together as a group, in prayer and study.

Wedding
So you’re getting married! Mazel Tov! With all the planning you have to do, here are some answers to your questions about weddings at Temple.

• Who May Marry at Temple Israel? Temple Israel clergy are happy to perform Interfaith weddings provided they meet the clergy’s criteria (please call and discuss this with the clergy). Either the bride or groom must be a member in good standing of the congregation, or a child (children) of members in good standing, in order to be married in our sanctuary or chapel, or by our clergy at another location. Our clergy are happy to perform same-sex unions as long as they meet the above requirements.

• Who May Perform the Ceremony? The Rabbi(s) and/or the Cantor are pleased to officiate at the wedding of congregants or children of congregants. You must make an appointment with the clergy in advance of selecting the date for the wedding. If you wish more than one of the clergy, you will need to contact each person individually. It is also important that you meet well in advance of the ceremony to discuss the service and any special requests for the ritual or music content that you may have. Some couples desire that another Rabbi or Cantor participate in the ceremony with our Rabbi(s) and Cantor. Our clergy will co-officiate with another clergy if it is discussed in advance, preferably when setting the date. The sanctuary may be used by a clergy other than our clergy only at the discretion of our Senior Rabbi. No fee is charged by our clergy for officiating at the wedding of Temple Israel members or their children. A contribution to their Discretionary Funds or another Temple Israel fund is always an appropriate way to express your appreciation.

• Setting the Date
  Before selecting your date and making any arrangements for the celebration after the ceremony, please call the Rabbi(s) and/or Cantor to confirm the date and time for the ceremony; you must also check with the office for building availability. Weddings may be held on Saturday evenings, after Shabbat. It is important to confirm with the clergy the earliest time that the ceremony can begin.

• Renting the Sanctuary, Chapel and Social Hall
  Rental arrangements for the Sanctuary or Chapel and Social Halls must be made through the office as soon as you have confirmed your date with the Rabbi(s) and the Cantor. There is a no rental fee for the Sanctuary or Chapel, which includes the use of the chuppah. A current fee schedule can be requested through the office. All accounts must be current at the time of rental. Caterers must be pre-approved by the Temple and, if they have not catered in the building before, must meet with our Executive Director in advance of the event. Wedding rentals include the use of the Bride’s room, a room for the groom to change and a room for the Ketubah signing.

• Contemporary Issues in Marriage

• Overview: Liturgy, Ritual, & Custom

Adult B’nai Mitzvah
Every three years, Temple offers an adult B’nai Mitzvah class. Students learn Hebrew reading and chanting skills and explore Jewish thought and prayer during this year-long course. The class meets weekly and they share a B’nai Mitzvah ceremony in May. The class is usually seven to 15 students; some were raised as Jews but never had a B’nai Mitzvah and others have chosen Judaism as adults. 

Conversion
If you are considering converting to Judaism, the Temple Israel community provides a supportive and welcoming place for you to make this sacred exploration. The first step toward exploring conversion is to set up a meeting with any one of our clergy. Together, you will make a plan for your course of study. The process of conversion is tailored to fit the person’s background, experience, and interests, but typically includes individual meetings with a clergy member every month or so, completion of an introduction to Judaism class like the Center for Jewish Life’s Introduction to Judaism, regular participation in worship, study and other programs at Temple Israel, and exploring Jewish practices in the home such as celebrating Shabbat and holidays. The conversion process culminates in the rituals of meeting with a Beit Din (rabbinical court), immersion in the mikveh (ritual bath) and a ceremony of welcome. If you are interested in exploring the possibility of conversion, please don’t hesitate to contact any of the clergy at Temple Israel. They will be very glad to explore the process with you and help you decide if conversion is the right path for you.

Divorce
The Temple Israel clergy are available for support during this painful time. Please feel free to contact the clergy if you would like to make an appointment.
Liturgy, Ritual, & Custom of Divorce

Death/Mourning
When a loved one dies, Judaism offers prayers and rituals to bring you comfort and strength. Your instinct may be to retreat into your grief, but the wisdom of our tradition teaches that this is not a time to be alone. For this reason, we have the custom of the shiva minyan where the family and friends gather for up to seven nights after the funeral to say prayers for your loved one. We also read the names of those who have recently departed for one month after their death. Mourners often choose to attend worship services regularly to say kaddish and to be with the community.

If your loved one is suffering a serious illness, the clergy will make hospital and home visits to help you and your beloved find strength in prayer, Jewish teaching and the compassion of a loving friend. After the death, the clergy will assist you in planning the funeral and the shiva minyans. The executive director can help you in making burial arrangements.

The first yahrzeit (anniversary of the death) of your beloved one will be observed and the name of your departed will be read from the pulpit when Kaddish is recited at Sabbath services.

• Yizkor Services
  Four times a year, it is a tradition in Judaism to read the names of our loved ones and say Kaddish for them. These Yizkor services occur on Yom Kippur, Simchat Torah, Passover and Shavuot.  If you would like to have your loved one’s name read, please contact the Temple Israel office, 402-556-6536.

• Moments of Remembrance
  On Yom Kippur afternoon, we invite you to gather with others who are in mourning to share stories about your beloved. The company of others who are also walking the path of grief can be uplifting and comforting. We welcome you to bring a photo or a keepsake of those you mourn.

• Memorial Plaque
  If you would like to purchase a memorial plaque for your beloved, please contact Office Manager Misty Weidner. The cost of the memorial plaque is a $750 tax deductible contribution to the congregation. This ensures that your beloved’s yahrzeit will be perpetually observed, the name will be read annually, and you will receive a notice of the service that marks his or her yahrzeit. If you do not have a memorial plaque but would like the name of your beloved one to be read after the first yahrzeit, you may contact the Temple Israel office, 402-556-6536, the week before the anniversary date.

• Book of Remembrance
  Every year on Yom Kippur we publish a memorial book. You are invited to include the names of those you hold in your heart. A suggested donation is $70. You will receive information in the mail about the Book of Remembrance in August.

• About Death & Mourning

• Practical Aspects of Death and Mourning

Other Life Passages
Birth, bat/bar mitzvah, marriage, divorce, and death–the standard Jewish lifecycle events–miss a host of significant psychological moments in the life of a human being. As a result, Jews over the past few decades have been creating new rituals and ceremonies to recognize previously ignored life passages like pregnancy, miscarriage, coming out and aging. Each ceremony uses Jewish texts and music to express a life passage’s meaning and the emotions it evokes.