Welcome to Beth Israel – The West Temple.
We are a full-service synagogue representing those who reside, generally, west of the Cuyahoga River, from Oberlin to the west, to Strongsville on the South, to downtown Cleveland. We celebrate Shabbat with services every week of the year – on both Friday night and Saturday mornings – led by our Rabbi and/or members of our Ritual Committee.
Our mission is:
- to provide a center of worship, education, and community for Jews in Cleveland’s western communities;
- to help our children learn about Jewish traditions and values;
- to give our members a tolerant and accepting environment in which to develop their own Jewish identities; and,
- to assure the continuity of our people’s traditions, values, and life.
These efforts, over more than sixty years, strengthen the Jewish community in Northeast Ohio and contribute to our duty of Tikkun Olam – repairing the world.
Peter Sackett, President, Board of Trustees
Beth Israel – The West Temple
Erev Tisha b'Av Commemoration
Remembering the Destruction of the Temples
and Jewish Responses to Catastrophe & Exile
Friday, August 9 at 8 p.m.
Tisha b’Av commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem, traditionally assigned to those same dates in 586 B.C.E. and 72 C.E., respectively. For Spanish Jewry, the day has an additional significance, since it coincides with the accepted date of the 1492 expulsion edict of the Spanish Inquisition.
The collection of readings includes excerpts from the book of Eicha/Lamentations,
diaries and poetry across time,
and words of song and hope in modern times.
Annual Congregational Summer Picnic
Cost: Adults – $10.00 per person,
Kids 10 and under – $5.00, Ages 3 and under free
Join us for Shabbat
Friday evening,
August 2nd
Shared Shabbat
Celebrating Shabbat and
August Birthdays & Anniversaries
7:30 p.m. – Rabbi Lader will lead our Family-friendly Erev Shabbat Service
Our Leadership
Rabbi Lader served the congregation for many years as a member-volunteer, in a variety of roles, before being ordained in 2010. She was installed as BI-TWT\’s Rabbi in 2012.
Debbie brings not only experience, having worked for 13 years at several Cleveland area congregations before coming to BI-TWT, but a true passion for Jewish Religious and Family Education programming.
Rabbi Emeritus Alan B. Lettofsky
Rabbi Lettofsky served Beth Israel – The West Temple from 1999 until his retirement in 2012. He continues to lead and assist in services at BI-TWT on special occasions, and he remains active as part-time chaplain at Hillcrest Hospital on behalf of the Jewish Community Federation.
Our Board is committed to maintaining a vibrant, welcoming and inclusive congregation by inviting everyone to participate in all aspects of temple life.
