Your Shul on the Shoreline
Temple Beth Tikvah sits on Durham Road in Madison, Connecticut, just off I-95 in the heart of the New Haven to Old Saybrook shoreline. Founded in 1977 and known as "Your Shul on the Shoreline," the congregation is a vibrant, inclusive Reform Jewish community guided by Torah and the Jewish values of tikkun hanefesh (enriching our lives) and tikkun olam (improving the world). With nearly 300 member households drawn from more than ten area towns, Temple Beth Tikvah serves as the focus of Jewish community life along the shoreline, welcoming Jews of many backgrounds and at every stage of life.
Friday Nights, Saturday Mornings, and the High Holy Days
Shabbat at Temple Beth Tikvah centers on a Friday evening service at 6:30 PM in the sanctuary, often enriched by the volunteer Ruach Band. Members and guests stay afterward to share an Oneg Shabbat together. On certain Fridays, a Young Family Shabbat begins at 5:00 PM, followed by a congregational dinner at 5:30 PM and the regular service at 6:30 PM. Every service in the sanctuary is also broadcast live on the congregation's YouTube channel, and an archive of past Shabbat services is kept under the "live" tab so anyone can catch up later. High Holy Day worship each fall draws the congregation together for Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur with its moving Kol Nidre service, and the days between.
Saturday mornings bring Torah Study at 9:00 AM, held on Zoom with an in-person option on the first and third Saturday of each month. Rabbi Danny Moss, Temple Educator Ira Wise, and occasional guest leaders guide discussion of the weekly portion. Members receive the Zoom link in their weekly email, and the texts and d'var Torah are drawn from the Union for Reform Judaism's Torah Study resources.
For those who cannot attend in person, the office can be reached at 203-245-7028 or office@tbtshoreline.org for more information about holiday observances.
Music, Choir, and the Ruach Band
Music is woven throughout Temple Beth Tikvah's worship. The volunteer choir Koleinu adds majesty to the High Holy Days, while the Ruach Band enriches Shabbat services across the year. Two named funds sustain this musical life: the Richard C. Kahrimanis Choir Fund supports musical programming for services, educational events, and concerts, and the Silidker Family Music Enrichment Fund, in memory of Joel Silidker, sponsors an annual special music event or artist-in-residence program at Temple Beth Tikvah.
From Shoreline Homes to a Sanctuary on Durham Road
The congregation's story stretches back to 1970, when the Shoreline Jewish Community Organization began gathering. Early services were held in members' homes, creating intimate connections among the families. As the group expanded, Friday services moved around Madison and Guilford, with lay leaders transporting a portable ark and prayer books to each gathering.
Religious school classes began in 1970 with ten students at the Madison Community Center and quickly grew to seventy-five children who met at the Mercy School and the Unitarian Church in Madison. After debating whether to affiliate with a particular movement within Judaism, the membership voted in 1975 to join the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, now the Union for Reform Judaism.
In 1975 the organization purchased land, and in April 1976 the members chose the name Temple Beth Tikvah, meaning "House of Hope," to reflect the dreams and aspirations of the fledgling group. The current building was dedicated at Shabbat services on Friday, May 13, 1977, with Rabbi Malcolm Stern, a historian of American Jewry, speaking about "Jewish Pioneers in Connecticut." The congregation's 40th anniversary was celebrated on May 13, 2017.
Rabbinic leadership has shaped the congregation across nearly five decades. Rabbi David Wortman served from 1976 to 1981 and launched monthly family Shabbat services, the first Shofar newsletter, the Temple Beth Tikvah Nursery School, and the congregation's section of Beaverbrook Cemetery in Clinton. Rabbi Howard (Hesch) Sommer led the community from 1982 to 2008, growing membership to more than 300 households, doubling the religious school, expanding the Judaica library, and building close bonds with the Madison and Guilford communities. Rabbi Thomas Alpert served as interim from 2008 to 2009, Rabbi Claudio Kogan from 2009 to 2012, and Rabbi Stacy K. Offner from 2012 to 2021. Rabbi Danny Moss arrived in July 2021.
On the cantorial side, Cantor Dorothy Goldberg was hired in 2005 as the congregation's first permanent, part-time cantor. Cantor Kevin Margolius served as Cantor Educator from 2013 to 2018, Cantor Mark Stanton from 2018 to 2020, Cantor Jennifer Boyle from 2020 to 2022, and Leah Cassorla, PhD, MFA, served as Cantorial Soloist-Educator from July 2022 to July 2023.
Rabbi Danny Moss and the Clergy Team
Rabbi Danny Moss joined Temple Beth Tikvah in July 2021. He grew up in Chicago and completed his rabbinical studies at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in New York after graduating from Oberlin College. As a student he served as a tour guide for teens in Europe and Israel, completed a critical-care hospital chaplaincy internship, and held congregational internships in Boston, Brooklyn, and Wyoming. Before arriving in Madison, he was Associate Rabbi at Temple Israel in Westport, Connecticut, where he spearheaded initiatives in Adult Jewish Learning, Caring Community, and CONECT, a community-organizing effort for social justice.
Rabbi Moss brings a deep enthusiasm for Jewish learning. He may be found singing silly songs, teaching Talmud, dreaming up experiential family learning activities, or re-enacting lightsaber duels with B'nei Mitzvah students who share his love for Star Wars. Fifteen joyful summers at the URJ's Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute (OSRUI) camp in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, shaped his conviction that Judaism can be joyful, empowering, substantial, and fun. His mentors include Dr. Larry Hoffman, Rabbi Danny Zemel, and advisor Dr. Alyssa Gray.
Two Rabbi Emeriti remain part of the community's life. Rabbi Emerita Stacy K. Offner served from 2012 to 2021 and is recognized as a pioneer since her ordination in 1984; she is also the Founding Rabbi Emerita of Shir Tikvah Congregation in Minneapolis. Rabbi Emeritus Hesch Sommer, D.Min., who served for 26 years, was instrumental in creating interfaith programs for adults and children and in advocating that public schools close on the High Holy Days.
Lifelong Learning, Preschool Through Adult
Education at Temple Beth Tikvah begins in the preschool and continues through adult learning.
TBT Preschool
Led by director Jen Casillo, TBT Preschool serves children from age two through Pre-Kindergarten and draws families from Madison, Guilford, Clinton, and other neighboring communities. The preschool is non-sectarian and open to children of all faiths and backgrounds. Its play-based philosophy is known for sending students to kindergarten "ready to learn." Programs include Ready2Go, the 3-year-old program, the 4-year-old program, and the Pre-K program.
Religious School
The K-12 supplemental Jewish educational program meets on Sundays from 9:30 AM to noon for grades K-7, with grades 8 and 9 from 11:00 AM to noon. Grades 3-7 also meet on Wednesdays from 3:45 to 5:15 PM. The curriculum moves in stages: Part of a Sacred Community for K-2 introduces the synagogue, holidays, and siddur; Tools of our Heritage for grades 3-7 uses the Mitkadem Hebrew program to deepen prayer learning; TIKKUN for grades 8-9 is a justice-based program focused on Tikkun Olam projects in the broader community; CONFIRMATION in grade 10 is taught weekly by the rabbi and culminates in a Confirmation service run entirely by the 10th graders; and The Chain of Tradition for grades 11-12 offers the monthly jChat discussion group on ethics and spirituality along with classroom roles as Chaverim and Madrichim (teachers' aides).
B'nei Mitzvah
Becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is treated as a profound family experience. The congregation has developed a full set of resources for families, including a Bat/Bar Mitzvah Handbook, a Mitzvah Project Handbook, a Program Template, an Honors Sheet, a Parent Guide with tips and checklists, and guidelines for parent blessings and speeches. Recordings of the Torah blessings chanted by Cantor Boyle are available for download, and there are resources for parents who are not Jewish.
Adult Education
Beyond Saturday morning Torah Study, Jewish Mindfulness and Meditation is offered on Zoom at 8:00 AM twice a month, with the third Saturday also meeting in person. The TBT Book Club meets on the third Thursday of each month at 7:30 PM by Zoom and is open to new participants. The Harold A. Besso Library, named for a founding member, houses an extensive collection of scriptural texts, Jewish fiction, reference works, history, biographies, books about Israel, and children's literature, with self-check-out available whenever the temple is open.
Kesher: Connection Groups That Run Through the Year
The Hebrew word Kesher means connection. Beginning each September and running through May, small cohorts of 8 to 12 members meet roughly monthly in closed, structured groups that ask for a year-long commitment. Current offerings include Wise Aging led by Nancy Fliss, exploring aging as a path to wisdom and creating legacy letters across three sessions each year; Cooking the Books led by Stu Crystal, picking a new cookbook each month; "God, I have a question" led by David Talbot with Rabbi Sommer's support, exploring practical theology from compassion to prophecy; "Shir" Enjoyment for an exploration of Jewish music led by Stu Weinzimer and Jodie Ambrosino; a Young Families playgroup led by Alessandra Shapiro and Caitlin Steele, meeting monthly at venues across the shoreline; Hiking the Shoreline led by Karen Goldberg, with monthly moderate hikes including TBT dogs; Woodworking led by Harry Schanzer and Michael Feldman, working on individual and sanctuary projects; and Mussar (Jewish Ethics) led by Lisa Harding, exploring the Jewish tradition of cultivating the inner mensch through study partners and personal practice.
Kol Ami, Haverim, and SALTY
Kol Ami, Voices of Friends is the women's group of Temple Beth Tikvah, open to all women of the congregation. Kol Ami sponsors spiritual, social, cultural, and educational programs, including the Jewish Journeys intergenerational storytelling series and ongoing hiking groups that explore the shoreline throughout the year.
Haverim, the TBT Men's Club, gathers the men of the congregation. Activities include building the sukkah each year and a Men's Spirituality Group that meets one Sunday each month at 10:30 AM.
SALTY, the Shoreline Alliance for Temple Youth, is the congregation's youth group for 9th through 12th graders, with 8th graders invited to attend their first BBYO convention in the second semester. SALTY is affiliated with both NFTY, the Reform movement's North American Federation of Temple Youth, and BBYO, a trans-denominational Jewish youth organization. Activities have included apple picking, running Shabbat services, and a slumber party at the temple, alongside regional BBYO events such as dances, conventions, and dodgeball tournaments.
Chesed and Caring Community
Chesed, often translated as loving-kindness, is the Jewish ethical virtue many scholars consider primary. The Chesed Committee organizes opportunities both to support members of the community in good and difficult times and to enable members to support others, allowing congregants to experience both giving and receiving care.
Social Justice on the Shoreline
The Social Justice Committee organizes volunteer opportunities for youth and adults across the region. Volunteers cook and serve lunch at the Community Dining Room in Branford on the second Sunday of each month from 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM, with a one-hour Zoom training required before starting. The committee also runs a TBT Food Collection in the lobby, supports the Common Good Garden in Old Saybrook where volunteers plant and harvest vegetables for local food pantries, organizes the TBT Backpack Drive to supply backpacks and school supplies for children in need in Madison, Guilford, and Branford, and partners with Guilford Social Services on one-time opportunities for high school students. The committee's signature project is Raise the Roof, the shoreline's partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven, where volunteers age 16 and older, no skills required, help build homes with partner families.
Lifecycle Events and the TBT Cemetery
Temple Beth Tikvah is the focus of Jewish life on the shoreline, marking milestones from brit milah and baby naming through B'nei Mitzvah, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and end-of-life and funerals. Rabbi Moss is available for pastoral care during times of joy and difficulty. The Temple Beth Tikvah Cemetery is located at Beaverbrook Cemetery in Clinton, Connecticut, with member and non-member plot rates and perpetual care included. Yahrzeit plaques can be purchased to memorialize loved ones.
Travel and the Czech Torah Scroll
Congregational trips to Israel and Europe have been a long-standing tradition, with TBT Israel journeys in 2014, 2016, and 2018 and a 2019 Central Europe trip that explored sites including the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague.
Temple Beth Tikvah is blessed with four Torah scrolls. Scroll #727, originally from the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague, was written near the end of the 19th century. During World War II the Nazis stole the scroll and planned to use it in a museum commemorating the murdered Jews of Europe. In 1964 the scrolls were purchased and brought to London, where the Memorial Scrolls Trust was established. In 1983 Temple Beth Tikvah received Scroll #727 on permanent loan as its caretaker. The scrolls are never sold or donated but allocated on loan, and must be returned if a community closes or merges with another scroll-holder.
The Building Renovation and the Capital Campaign
On the occasion of its 40th anniversary, the congregation launched the "Building Community" capital campaign to renovate the Durham Road building. The renovation has transformed the sanctuary and supporting spaces, and the work continues through the "Secure the Future" campaign, with a $1 million match challenge announced at the May 2026 annual meeting by campaign chair David Sack. The congregation has many special funds supporting its mission, including the Rabbi's Discretionary Fund, the Educator's Discretionary Fund, the Endowment Fund, the Sharon Besser Seder Fund, the Sack Family Fund for Adult Jewish Learning, the Judith K. Barr Adult Education Fund, the Laurence and Elaine Sommer Memorial Fund for Social Justice, the Leo Bonoff Fund for Youth Study in Israel, the Library Fund, the Torah Repair Fund, the Mark Rosenblum Memorial Technology Fund, the Mary and Israel Ticotsky Education Fund, the Rabbi Howard Sommer Fund for Continuing Jewish Education, the Preschool Fund, the Prayerbook Fund, and the Youth Scholarship Fund.
The Mission
Temple Beth Tikvah's stated mission is to be a vibrant, inclusive Reform Jewish community, guided by Torah and interconnected through traditions and values of tikkun hanefesh and tikkun olam. The congregation's strategic goals are to serve as a vibrant center for Jewish life on the shoreline, build a thriving and engaged membership, support lifelong Jewish learning, foster a culture of philanthropy, and achieve financial strength and stability.
Becoming a Member of the TBT Family
Membership includes pastoral care, Shabbat worship, religious school for children and teens, adult education, the SALTY youth group, social justice opportunities, travel with the rabbi, burial rights in the cemetery, and membership in the Union for Reform Judaism with discounted tuition to URJ camps and NFTY programs. The congregation welcomes newcomers and longtime members, adults and children, individuals, couples, and families, LGBTQIA members, interfaith and multi-racial households, Jews by birth and Jews by choice, and non-Jewish spouses and partners.
Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM; the office is closed Saturday and Sunday. From I-95, take Exit 61 to Route 79 and the building is a quarter mile on the right.