The Voice | June-July 2020

“Seeing parents, grandparents, and special friends join their kids on the programs is the silver lining of a virtual classroom,” Mrs. Goldberg said. “Whether it’s singing with Cantor Blatt or playing in a Kahoot review game, it was so wonderful to see family members participating with their children.” “I am grateful for Beth El’s education team,” Dr. Bor said. “They truly rolled up their sleeves, jumped on the opportunity to reach the families and comforted them through all the critical changes. It has shown us that community extends beyond the school building and house of worship.” Register for the Berman-Lipavsky Religious School Now! Now that the 2019-2020 school year has ended, Beth El is fully invested in preparing for the 2020-2021 school year. We hope to be back together again in the fall, both on our main Beth El campus and the five neighborhood school sites. Please join us in making the commitment for the future by registering for Hebrew School here . If you have any questions, please reach out to Amy Goldberg, Religious School Director at amy@bethelbalto.com, Andy Shankman, Religious School Manager at ashankman@ bethelbalto.com, and Dr. Eyal Bor, Director of Education at eyal@bethelbalto.com

Virtual Preschool Shabbat Celebration

“I am so proud of the Adult Education attendees who were able to get on Zoom and participate in all our classes, concerts, and lectures,” Dr. Bor enthused. “When I see those faces on the screen, I feel the vibrance of life and a desire to continue learning for years and years to come.” “The mission of The Rabbi Mark G. Loeb Center for Lifelong Learning at Beth El has always been to perpetuate the legacy and passion for knowledge and learning that was so dear to Rabbi Loeb,” added Ellen Marks, Administrator for the Center for Lifelong Learning. “We believe Rabbi Loeb would be proud of the learning that has been taking place in his name during this difficult, most unusual time for all of us.” In keeping with the spirit of its namesake founder, the Center for Lifelong Learning offered a stimulating schedule of virtual events and programs for every learning style and taste from the Presidential elections to the Israeli elections, from Jewish humor to Broadway shows, and from poetry and creative thinking to Jewish history. “In this challenging time, Adult Education has not skipped a beat: our goal has been to provide high quality, stimulating, spiritual, interesting and entertaining programming and events to keep our community connected to Beth El while they are at home,” Mrs. Marks said. Truly, the future is bright. Virtual programming is sure to benefit the Beth El community in the coming months, potentially allowing the schools to create personalized educational opportunities for students of all ages and learning styles, who may live near or far from Pikesville. Despite the future opportunity for remote, one-on- one Hebrew tutoring or an entire curriculum of virtual Adult Education classes, the true blessing is how the educational community grew closer, even as they moved “Beyond the Walls.”

18 The Voice of Beth El Congregation