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...Beth Shalom is a community in which each individual is able to celebrate life's joys to the fullest and find support during times of loss and pain. Embracing the richness of Jewish tradition, we seek to help each person find his or her place within the tradition, joining with others who are searching for a path toward fulfilling and joyous Jewish living in today's modern world. Beth Shalom provides a meaningful spritual home for people of all ages and levels of knowledge, a place to learn and to question, a place to worship and to celebrate, a place to find a community that cares.
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Congregation Beth Shalom was born in the spring of 1990 at an open meeting of 10-15 families from Brandon and the surrounding areas who were seeking to form a temple of their own. Like nomads in the desert, every meeting and every decision was made in various people's homes. We had no real home of our own. Through much trial and error, hundreds of phone calls and tireless work, Beth Shalom was chartered, incorporated and became an integral part of the Brandon community.
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| During those early times, we had to knock on doors and ask perfect strangers for the use of their buildings so we could pray and teach our children. We forever remain grateful to those who assisted us. After much fundraising and planning, Congregation Beth Shalom moved into their new home in September of 2000, just in time for the High Holy Days. It was a proud and glorious moment. It is there that we stood in our own building at 706 Bryan Road asking for forgiveness and expressing thanks for our good fortune. We stood in awe, facing our ark which houses our oldest congregant, our Torah. It was inscribed in Poland over 200 years ago. It represents the lifeline of our religion and symbolizes our strong presence in the greater Brandon area. Our synagogue as it now stands houses our sanctuary and classrooms for religious school. It is both exciting and fulfilling to be an integral part of an ever-growing new congregation. Join us and share the experience. |
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Congregation Beth Shalom
706 Bryan Road
Brandon, FL 33511
Tel: 813-681-6547
Fax: 813-681-7517
For more information email here
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Rabbi Betsy Torop was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, OH in 1990. Following her ordination, Rabbi Torop served as a rabbi in Melbourne, Australia for 8 years, first as an assistant rabbi at Temple Beth Israel and then with her husband, Rabbi Michael Torop, at the Leo Baeck Centre. Upon returning to the United States, Rabbi Torop served as the Director of Jewish Life and Learning at the Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center in Roslyn, NY and as rabbi at Congregation Shir Shalom in Bradenton, FL before becoming the Rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom in 2003. She is married to Rabbi Michael Torop and is the mother of three children.
Rabbi Torop has contributed a study guide on Pirke Avot to the UAHC Significant Jewish Books Initiative and a commentary on Exodus, Chapter 1 to Beginning the Journey: Toward a Women's Commentary on Torah. She has a particular interest in programs for Jewish families and has taught on a wide variety of subjects including Jewish law and ethics and women and Judaism.
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