At 660 Park Avenue in Huntington, New York, Temple Beth El is an inclusive Reform Jewish congregation of approximately 400 families. It is known for five distinct Friday night Shabbat formats, a religious school from kindergarten through Hebrew High School, music and theater, and social action that reaches beyond the congregation. Calling itself a House of Prayer, a House of Learning and a House of Gathering, the congregation pairs progressive thought with cherished traditions and welcomes people at many stages of Jewish life.
A House of Prayer, a House of Learning, a House of Gathering
Temple Beth El's mission joins progressive thinking with traditional values in an atmosphere intended to be comfortable and stimulating. The congregation is an affiliate member of the Union for Reform Judaism and describes its work as ensuring that Judaism endures from generation to generation, L'Dor V'Dor. Its identity comes through four connected expressions:
- Prayer. The congregation gathers Friday night and many Saturday mornings for Shabbat and Jewish holidays, with worship centered on congregational participation and music.
- Learning. Children begin with Shalom Friends and continue through Religious School and Hebrew High School, while adults have continuing education and a library.
- Gathering. Sisterhood, Brotherhood, Chai Club, youth activities, and arts and social programs create settings for friendship and service.
- Repairing the world. The congregation describes its social action programming as the heart and soul of Temple Beth El, with opportunities for families, students, and adults to serve people in and beyond Huntington.
Members represent traditional and nontraditional households, interfaith and LGBTQ+ families, multigenerational families, and people with disabilities. The congregation says its doors are open not only to members but to anyone interested in Judaism. A saying often used by the congregation captures its spirit: 'Our talents are a gift from God; how we use them is our gift to God,' credited to Leo Buscaglia.
Rabbi Jeffrey Clopper and Cantor Alison Levine
Rabbi Jeffrey Clopper has served as Temple Beth El's spiritual leader since 2003. Ordained in 1995 at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, he leads Shabbat services, Torah study, educational programs, Hebrew school activities, and visits to the sick and bereaved. He also participates in congregational music, playing guitar and leading songs, and brings innovative thinking to programming while preserving established rituals and traditions.
Cantor Alison Levine joined the clergy in 2014. Trained in vocal performance, Jewish music, and education, she combines music and spirituality in worship and teaches both adults and children. She works with the Adult and Junior Choirs and helps prepare seventh graders for Bar and Bat Mitzvah, giving them private lessons in chanting prayers, Torah, and Haftarah portions.
Rabbi Barton Shallat led the congregation from 1971 through 2003 and is now Rabbi Emeritus. Cantor Emerita Sandra Sherry-Pilatsky served for 22 years, and Educator Emerita Diane Berg taught two generations of students during 44 years at Temple Beth El. Together, their service reflects the congregation's commitment to passing Jewish learning and inclusive communal life to the next generation.
Five Fridays, Five Ways to Welcome Shabbat
Friday night services begin at 7:00 p.m. and are normally led by Rabbi Clopper and Cantor Levine. The monthly rotation gives the congregation a familiar rhythm without making every Shabbat identical. A Bar or Bat Mitzvah student may lead the congregation in prayer while families celebrate the milestone.
First Friday: Family Shabbat
The first Friday service combines contemporary prayer and music in a format intended to appeal to young and old. The Junior Choir participates, and a Religious School class typically shares part of its learning with the congregation. The service also includes blessings for everyone celebrating a birthday during that month.
Second Friday: Traditional Prayer and Music
The second Friday returns to a traditional form of worship built around prayer and music. Its familiar structure offers a different rhythm from the contemporary first-Friday gathering.
Third Friday: Torah and Conversation
The third Friday service includes a Torah reading and a brief, informal congregational discussion based on the weekly parsha. Chai Club members often make this service a special point of their monthly gathering.
Fourth Friday: Kabbalat Shabbat
Kabbalat Shabbat is highly participatory. The congregation prays and chants successively through the liturgy with minimal interruptions. The service typically concludes by 7:15 p.m., leaving time afterward for relaxation, dinner, and conversation.
Fifth Friday: T.G.I.S.
When the month has a fifth Friday, T.G.I.S., or Thank God It's Shabbat, becomes an energetic and uplifting musical service. The Rabbi and Cantor lead an ensemble of congregational musicians on keyboard, percussion, guitar, clarinet, trumpet, and other instruments, with singing and dancing central to the gathering.
Summer Shabbat
Beginning with the first Friday in July and continuing through the end of August, Summer Shabbat services remain at 7:00 p.m. but are led by members of the congregation. These lay-led gatherings are described as intimate, diverse, creative, and educational, giving worshippers another way to participate in Shabbat together.
Saturday Morning Prayer and Study
Saturday morning Shabbat begins at 10:30 a.m. These services often celebrate one or more students becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, but they are open to the public and welcome all who wish to join in prayer. The variety of forms across the week gives worshippers a choice between contemporary, traditional, Torah-centered, participatory, and musical approaches.
A separate Saturday morning Bible study meets on Zoom at 9:00 a.m. Rabbi Clopper leads the group, which welcomes walk-ins and new participants. The congregation also makes selected prayers available with Hebrew and transliteration, emphasizing that worship does not depend on perfect pronunciation.
Learning from Shalom Friends Through Hebrew High School
Temple Beth El's educational life begins with Shalom Friends and continues through a dynamic Religious School serving kindergarten through twelfth grade. Learning is designed to connect with students' families as well as classroom life.
Primary Grades: Music, Art and Jewish Heritage
Kindergarten through third grade meet in person from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Sundays. Students encounter holidays, prayers, biblical stories, Israel, and Hebrew letter recognition through music and art. Prayers are explained and practiced each week over challah and juice, giving younger learners a tangible connection to the language and rhythm of Jewish worship.
Intermediate Grades: Values and Hebrew
Grades 4 through 7 also meet in person from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Sundays, with additional virtual Hebrew instruction on Tuesdays. These students continue building on earlier material while examining Jewish values, life cycle events, and Israel. The curriculum asks students to think and behave in an ethical Jewish way and strengthens their ability to decode and read Hebrew prayers.
Preparing for Bar and Bat Mitzvah
Seventh graders begin Bar and Bat Mitzvah preparation with private lessons from the Cantor and Rabbi. They learn to chant prayers, Torah, and Haftarah portions, explore a way to fulfill the Jewish obligation of helping others through a mitzvah project, and create a project that allows them to express their abilities and interests.
Lifelong Learning and Jewish Camp
Adults have continuing education, the Saturday Bible study, and Wisdom and Wine, a spirited Friday night conversation on current events viewed through Jewish eyes. The congregation's library holds Reform Jewish literature and history, along with books about parenting, cooking, Jewish learning, and quiet reflection. Religious School families are also encouraged to explore URJ-sponsored Jewish overnight camps and Israel programs, with dedicated scholarship funds supporting participation.
Music, Theater and the Arts
Music, theater, and art are cornerstones of Temple Beth El. Cantor Emerita Sandra Sherry-Pilatsky founded the Chutzpah Repertory Theater Company, whose productions have included Fiddler on the Roof, The Music Man, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The King and I, and Guys and Dolls. The company brings together producers, directors, musicians, actors, and crew members, and its performances both raise funds and strengthen friendships across the congregation.
The congregation's wider arts life includes:
- The T.G.I.S. Klezmer Band at many fifth-Friday Shabbat services
- The Festival of Arts and Letters, which exhibits congregants' artistic work
- A Purim Schpiel and an annual art show and sale
- Sculpture exhibits featuring local artists
- Concerts, talks, and performances centered on Jewish culture and heritage
A dedicated Music and Arts Committee encourages this programming and places performances before the congregation during Shabbat services and special gatherings.
Repairing the World in Huntington
Tikkun Olam, or Repairing the World, is a defining expression of Temple Beth El's mission. Its Social Action Committee involves students, families, and adults in feeding neighbors, assisting people without stable housing, collecting essential goods, distributing clothing, and responding to community needs.
Project H.O.P.E. Feeds Food-Insecure Neighbors
Project H.O.P.E., Helping Other People Eat, began in 2004 through the youth of St. Hugh's Parish, and Temple Beth El began partnering with the project in 2012. Volunteers set up, cook, serve, and deliver individual meals to Paumanack Village in Greenlawn and family-style trays to Tri-CYA in Huntington. Temple youth have a particularly large role in the program, learning that preparation, cooking, and service can put Jewish values into practice.
The Larry Sommers Food Pantry
The temple maintains the Larry Sommers Food Pantry for families in need. Congregants stock it with canned fruit, pasta and sauce, vegetables, hearty canned foods, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter, jelly, cleaning supplies, toiletries, and paper goods. Donations may be brought to the temple, and volunteers make the pantry available to community members throughout the year.
H.I.H.I. Offers Meals and Winter Respite
Temple Beth El has participated in the Huntington Interfaith Homeless Initiative since its inception in 2004. Working with the Family Service League and other houses of worship, the congregation provides meals and a warm place to stay for people in Huntington who lack emergency housing. Wednesday winter respite duties are shared with the Huntington Jewish Center and East Northport Jewish Center. Volunteers prepare and serve dinners, and a fall supply drive gathers warm clothing, toiletries, kitchen supplies, and other necessities for the respite season.
Food Drives, Dinners and Clothing for the Community
Each year's High Holy Days food drive stocks the temple pantry and sends substantial quantities of food to local agencies. Seasonal drives collect coats and blankets for Helping Hands Rescue Mission. A Thanksgiving Day dinner and boutique bring together volunteers who shop, cook, bake, serve, drive, and distribute free clothing to community members. During Purim, a baby boutique welcomes referred parents and expectant mothers with clothing, diapers, strollers, car seats, and other necessities for infants and toddlers.
Temple teens have also participated in the Midnight Run, traveling into New York City with clothing, toiletries, food, and other supplies for people experiencing homelessness. The work gives young people a direct way to express Jewish values through kindness and practical service.
Care, Refugee Support and Community Grants
The Caring Community Committee assists people inside and outside the congregation who face illness, poverty, infirmity, or other difficult circumstances by providing food, transportation, visits, and similar assistance. A Refugee Resettlement Fund supports a community project with HIAS, while other funds support Holocaust remembrance, Israel programming, social action, and the congregation's expanding kitchen and community meals.
Brotherhood, Sisterhood and the Chai Club
Three volunteer organizations form important parts of Temple Beth El's social life. Each combines fellowship with service and gives congregants a distinct way to contribute.
Brotherhood: Fellowship and Hands-On Service
The Brotherhood serves as the congregation's social and service arm for men. Regular gatherings feature conversation over bagels and lox, monthly programs, ROMEO lunches for retired men, and occasional dinners for men in the community. Members usher at High Holy Days, build and deconstruct the Sukkah, set up the Chanukah Bash and dreidel table, cook for the Purim Carnival, organize barbecues and breakfasts, maintain the temple's kindness garden, and assist with social action and worship. The group is affiliated with Men of Reform Judaism and has received that organization's Jerome Siegel Award for men's programming.
Sisterhood: Active Participation
The volunteer-run Sisterhood welcomes participation at different levels and offers daytime, evening, and weekend programs. Activities include social dinners, luncheons, cooking classes, field trips, morning and evening book clubs, Knitzvah, Mah Jongg, spring and fall rummage sales, and blood drives twice a year. Fundraising supports temple purchases such as flooring, landscaping, library books, and Religious School supplies.
Chai Club: Hospitality at the Center
Founded in the 1970s by Charlie Mayer, the Chai Club is known for hospitality and for making sure that participants' dietary needs are met. It hosts covered-dish Shabbat dinners, holiday parties, theater outings, walks, trips, speakers, and continuing education programs. Its third-Friday Shabbat gatherings, June installation dinner, and summer potluck are recurring traditions, while friendly volunteers have made the group a source of lasting friendships throughout the congregation.
Beyond these three groups, committees welcome participation in areas such as caring for congregants, family education, college connections, library stewardship, ritual, outreach, singles, social action, strategic planning, and temple rentals. Youth Activities organizes social, cultural, and religious opportunities for younger congregants.
Milestones, Weddings and Mourning
Jewish life cycle events are integral to Temple Beth El. The clergy welcome children, arrange baby namings, officiate Brit Milah and other ceremonies, guide families toward Bar and Bat Mitzvah, and join families in marking birthdays. On the first Friday of each month, the Rabbi invites everyone celebrating a birthday that month to the Bimah for a special Shehecheyanu.
Temple Beth El performs weddings for Jewish couples, including interfaith and GLBT couples. The clergy offer compassionate guidance for spiritual support, death, and mourning, while the temple also assists with funeral arrangements. These observances reflect the congregation's description of itself as a House of Prayer in which major moments are shared with a supportive community.
Visiting Temple Beth El in Huntington
Temple Beth El is at 660 Park Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743, with parking in the back of the building. Directions describe two main approaches:
- From New York City and points west, take the Long Island Expressway east to Exit 51 for Deer Park Avenue, or the Northern State Parkway east to Exit 42N. Travel north on Deer Park Avenue, continue past Jericho Turnpike as the road becomes Park Avenue, and proceed approximately 3.2 miles to the temple.
- From eastern Long Island, take the Long Island Expressway west to Exit 51, or the Northern State Parkway west to Exit 42N, then follow the same route north through Deer Park and along Park Avenue.
The congregation extends a standing invitation to anyone interested in Judaism to attend a Friday night Shabbat service. Saturday morning worship is also open to the public. First Friday worship is specifically family-friendly, while the other Friday formats offer traditional, participatory, Torah-centered, and musical styles. The Religious School and youth programs give younger visitors ways to connect with the congregation as well.
A Free First Year Through Gift Membership
Gift Membership offers a free first year to people new to Temple Beth El and to returning households that have not been affiliated for more than 12 months. It is open to individuals, couples, families, interfaith households, LGBTQ+ individuals and families, new residents, empty nesters, seniors, and anyone seeking to reconnect with Jewish roots through worship, learning, social action, and community life.
A Partnership Model Rooted in Inclusion
Since adopting its Sustaining Partnership model in 2017, the congregation has asked every household to share responsibility for the temple's financial needs according to its circumstances. The partnership amount is calculated from the cost of sustaining the congregation for a year, but family finances are considered individually. The congregation states that finances will never be a barrier to partnership and that no one will be turned away.
Appointments can be arranged with the Rabbi, Cantor, Religious School Director, Partnership Liaison, or another staff member. The temple office is reached at 631-421-5835, and the Religious School can be reached at 631-421-5836.
Giving That Sustains Worship, Learning and Service
Temple Beth El places tzedakah, or charitable giving, at the heart of Jewish life. Contributions support the congregation's core obligations and its ongoing services. Named funds direct gifts toward Torah, study, and education; worship and music; acts of kindness; youth and family enrichment; social action; refugee resettlement; building improvements; the kitchen; planned giving; and the congregation's long-term endowment.
- Education funds support Religious School, special education, Hebrew learning, the library, and youth scholarships.
- Worship funds support the Sanctuary, choir, prayer books, Torah commentaries, ritual supplies, and Jewish musical and cultural arts.
- Acts of kindness funds support the Caring Community, Rabbi's and Cantor's discretionary funds, refugee resettlement, social action, and Holocaust remembrance.
- Capital and sustainability funds support building improvements, kitchen equipment, the general fund, and future generations.
The Ner Tamid, or Eternal Light, planned-giving initiative encourages congregants to include the synagogue in wills, charitable annuity gifts, real estate gifts, and other estate plans. Its purpose is to preserve the light of Judaism for children, grandchildren, and generations to come. Commemorative giving also includes a Tree of Life in the Atrium, a Jerusalem Wall near the Sanctuary entrance, Yahrzeit memorial plaques, pew seat plates, and engraved walkway bricks at the parking lot entrance.
Giving can be made through the congregation's online donation form, while the Sustaining Partnership remains the congregation's broad framework for annual household support.
At its center, Temple Beth El remains a community of prayer, learning, music, hospitality, and service. Its enduring identity joins the memory of Jewish tradition to a progressive and inclusive life in Huntington, with worshippers of every age contributing to a House of Prayer, a House of Learning, and a House of Gathering.