Dear Friends,

Our tradition teaches that the world stands upon these: Torah, Divine Service, and Acts of Loving Kindness. So too the synagogue: as Temple Beth El brings Torah to life for our members, young and old, and as we create new and dynamic opportunities for Jewish worship, learning and living, we depend on your acts of generosity and kindness.

Meeting the needs of our growing and diverse temple community educationally and programmatically, in joy and in sorrow, annually requires resources in excess of membership pledges. Gifts to our special funds, and income from gifts to our endowment funds are therefore essential.

I hope you will find among these funds those that resonate with your own interests, and if you are celebrating joy, you will sanctify it by supporting Temple Beth El’s work; if you are remembering a loved one, you will honor that memory with a gift to this community where memories are sacred. If you are searching for a place to make a gift that will make a difference, know that here your gift will.

If you have questions about any of our special or endowment funds – if you are looking to wed your passions to Temple Beth El’s purpose – please do not hesitate to call upon me.

Warmly and with deep thanks,
Rabbi Joshua M. Davidson

Below is a list of funds at Temple Beth El.
To make a donation online using Google check-out, click here, or
to print out a donation form to mail to the Temple click here

EDUCATION & LIFELONG LEARNING


SPECIAL FUNDS

BETTY & JACK BADER ADULT EDUCATION FUND
Supports the scholar-in-residence & other adult education programs

BEGINNING YEARS EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER FUND
Enriches the temple’s nursery school program

LIFELONG LEARNING SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Supports, on a need basis, pursuits of Jewish education by congregants

RELIGIOUS SCHOOL FUND
Enriches the Religious School’s educational programs

YOUTH PROGRAM FUND
Supports special programs for Senior & Junior Youth Groups on a group and/or individual basis


ENDOWMENT FUNDS

SYLVIA & PERRY NEIDICH EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP ASSISTANCE FUND
Supports scholarships for Religious School education

THE LEE S. KREINDLER B’NEI MITZVAH FUND
Provides funds to enrich the educational experience for B’nei Mitzvah families

TORAT CHAYIM: A YOUTH ENRICHMENT ENDOWMENT FUND
Provides scholarships for informal youth programming, NFTY High School Summers and semesters in Israel, or Reform Jewish summer camp

AMY & SAM RESNICK FAMILY FUND FOR ADULT JEWISH STUDIES IN LOVING MEMORY OF REBECCA, MAX & AARON RESNICK
Promotes Adult Jewish Study

SOCIAL JUSTICE & LOVING KINDNESS

SPECIAL FUNDS

BARBARA POLLACK MITZVAH DAY FUND
Supports Temple Beth El’s Annual Mitzvah Day

BARBARA’S FUND FOR SURVIVORS
Funds Mitzvah Day care packages for cancer patients

TIKKUN OLAM (SOCIAL JUSTICE) FUND
Supports Tikkun Olam Council (TBE's social justice) programs

ELLIS & RAE ZIMMER FUND FOR CHILDREN IN NEED
Provides financial aid to children in need in the wider community

CLERGY'S CONGREGANTS IN NEED FUND
Assists congregants in need 

CARING COMMUNITY FUND
Supports the work of the Caring Community Committee to bring comfort to congregants at transitional moments in their lives

ISRAEL ACTION FUND
Provides educational program and opportunities for congregants to support a variety of financial needs in Israel.

ENDOWMENT FUNDS

RICHARD E. LEAVITT MEMORIAL FUND
Supports the Chanukah celebration for students of the Pleasantville Cottage School

RABBI CHAIM STERN CARING COMMUNITY ENDOWMENT FUND
Assists congregants in crisis

DAVE & BUNNY CENTER FAMILY MITZVAH ENDOWMENT FUND
Funds the work of the Mitzvah Committee to bring comfort to congregants at transitional moments in their lives

RECOGNITION, HONORS & MEMORIALS

SPECIAL FUNDS

BOOK OF LIFE FUND
Provides a means of commemoration or memorial in a volume on display in the temple
(Minimum fee: full page $200, half $120)

MEMORIAL PLAQUE FUND
Gifts create a perpetual Yahrzeit and purchase two identical memorial plaques, one permanently affixed, the other displayed in the sanctuary on the anniversary of death
(Minimum gift $250)

PRAYER BOOK FUND
Honors or memorializes an individual/individuals through the purchase of prayer books with dedication plaques
(Minimum gift $36)

TREE OF LIFE FUND
Celebrates an occasion, honors or memorializes loved ones with a leaf on our Tree of Life
(Each leaf $500)

YOM HASHOAH FUND
Supports Temple Beth El's Holocaust Remembrance activities and programs

CULTURAL ENRICHMENT

SPECIAL FUNDS

GREGORY ALTMAN MUSIC & ARTS FUND
Supports programs for our congregation in the area of art , music and culture

LIBRARY FUND
Supports the purchase of books and supplies for the temple library

BEAUTIFICATION & MAINTENANCE

SPECIAL FUNDS

CHAI FUND
For sanctuary beautification
(Minimum gift $18)

FLOWER FUND
For flower arrangements in the sanctuary, and for temple landscaping
(Minimum gift $36)

ENDOWMENT FUNDS

TEMPLE BETH EL ENDOWMENT FUND
To ensure the future financial stability of the temple

THE RICHARD M. BLEIER MAINTENANCE ENDOWMENT FUND
Provides funds for the upkeep of the congregation’s facilities

CLERGY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS

SENIOR RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND
Supports charitable, congregational and/or professional needs, as determined by the Senior Rabbi 

ASSISTANT RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND
Supports charitable, congregational and/or professional needs, as determined by the Associate Rabbi

CANTOR’S DISCRETIONARY FUND
Supports charitable, congregational and/or professional needs, as determined by the Cantor

SPECIAL & ENDOWMENT FUNDS

Temple Beth El has Special Funds and Endowment Funds to support its mission of offering wonderful and diverse programs to enrich the lives of our congregants. We would like to be able to provide even more opportunities. As we seek to offer new or enriched programs for congregants and to introduce innovative learning opportunities, we must look beyond our annual operating budget. This is the goal of our Special Funds and Endowment Programs--to build the necessary funds that allow us to meet our objectives of strengthening our bonds to one another, our community, and to Reform Judaism. Our endowment is not a one time campaign; rather an ongoing program with long-term objectives.

There are different ways you can contribute to Temple Beth El’s Special Funds and Endowment Funds and make a real difference in securing our future for ourselves and for generations to come. In addition to being of great value to Temple Beth El, your contribution can be fiscally advantageous to you, your family, and your estate. Please read the information below. Further information about methods of giving may be obtained from the Temple office.

WHAT ARE TEMPLE BETH EL’S SPECIAL FUNDS?
The Special Funds are designated funds available to support the activities and programs of the congregation. The income and principal may be used for enrichment programs, mitzvah and tzedecha programs, or other temple improvements.

WHAT ARE TEMPLE BETH EL’S ENDOWMENT FUNDS?
The Endowment Funds are restricted capital reserve accounts, separate and distinct from the Temple operating budget. The income or a fixed percentage, may be used for enrichment programs, mitzvah and tzedecha programs, or other temple improvements.

CHOICES AVAILABLE FOR GIVING

CASH
Cash, usually in the form of a check, is the most common way to make a charitable gift. A gift of cash is considered made on the date it is hand-delivered or mailed. Tax benefits may be available for such gifts.

SECURITIES
Substantial tax advantages may be available to a donor who gives securities that have appreciated in value. Simply have your broker transfer such securities to the Temple and consult with your tax advisor as to the potential tax benefits.

SAVINGS & RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS
Congregants can donate any funds in their bank accounts, money markets, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), KEOGH plans, and other retirement and pension funds. Consult with your tax advisor for potential income and estate tax benefits which may result from such transfers.

REAL ESTATE
Real estate that is no longer needed or used by the donor’s family can be a meaningful gift to the Temple. Your tax advisor will explain any potential tax benefits that may arise from such gifts.

LIFE INSURANCE
Often life insurance is no longer needed to protect family members who have been provided for in other ways. In such a case, a donor may designate Temple Beth El as the owner and irrevocable beneficiary of his or her life insurance policy. Available income tax benefits of such a gift may be substantial and should be discussed with your tax advisor.

LIFE INCOME TRUSTS
A donor who wishes to make a substantial gift may, at the same time, need to have an income for the rest of his or her life. Such a donor may be able to realize substantial financial, tax, and personal benefits by creating a life income trust and retaining income from the trust for life (and for the life of the donor’s spouse, if the donor chooses), after which the property goes to Temple Beth El’s Endowment Fund. Once again, your tax advisor can explain the potential benefits of such a gift.

ENDOWMENT FUNDS
A donor of a generous gift may wish to set up an Endowment Fund at Temple Beth El for a specified purpose with the income or a specifice percentage available annually to fulfill the purpose indicated in advance.

SPECIAL FUNDS
A donor of a generous gift may wish to set up an Special Fund for a specified purpose with the income and principle available to be expended to fulfill the purpose indicated in advance.

BEQUESTS
Donors may designate Temple Beth El in their wills as a beneficiary of all or a portion of any of their assets, including cash, stock, real estate, furniture, artwork, closely held stock, etc. In the case of retirement plans (including pensions, Keogh’s IRA’s and annuities), donors wishing to name Temple Bethe El as the recipient of such assets upon their death (or the death of their surviving spouse) should simply change the beneficiary designation form supplied by the specific plan.. Your tax advisor can describe the potential income tax and estate tax benefits that your family might enjoy under such an arrangement.