Photos of the event!

Read all about it! "A Retrospective of Our 75 Years"

Temple Beth El celebrated the 75th anniversary of its founding during the weeknd of June 4-6, 2004. The weekend began with the Kabbalat Shabbat on Friday afternoon. Shabbbat morning services were followed by a Kiddush sponsored by the Temple Sisterhood.

More than 100 members and friends joined together for an unforgettable celebration dinner Sunday. The synagogue was festivaly decorated in black, red and silver to commemorate the spirit of the Roaring 20's when Beth El was founded. And to be perfectly honest: we looked great!

The evening began with a cocktail hour in the lobby. This was followed by an elegant sit-down dinner catered by Jane Hanft. A video of Beth El history, prepared by Abbey Knapp, ran continuously. We all had a chance to view family and friends, past and present--and sometimes even ourselves.

The highlight of the dinner was a magnificent birthday cake. Descendants of the original 15 charter members and other Temple luminaries lit the candles. Oscar Wax presented a Temple retrospective, and there was a Sisterhood reminiscence by Marilyn Finkle. Margaret Penders was honored for her many years of service to our synagogue. A special treat was the talk by Gustine Matt, wife of our former rabbi Hershel Matt. Rabbi Aryeh Wineman, accompanied by piano and guitar, led us in a songfest of tunes from the 1920's.