Beth-El wins honorable mention for adult education programming

Monroe — Temple Beth-El, the Monroe Temple of Liberal Judaism, received an honorable mention during the presentation of the Congregation of Learners Award at the Union for Reform Judaism’s 68th Biennial Convention, held in Houston from Nov. 16-20. The Monroe temple’s programs have been included in “Building Congregations of Learners: Best Practices in Adult Study 2005,” a guide that may be downloaded at www.urj.org/educate/adults. Established in 2003, the Congregation of Learners Award, presented by the Union’s Department of Lifelong Jewish Learning, recognizes synagogues that provide an atmosphere of exceptional, varied, and comprehensive adult learning opportunities. Applicants were judged on their effectiveness in fulfilling adult Jewish learning goals, and on their creativity, inclusiveness, Judaic content, educational method, replicability, and integration with the values and vision of the congregation. The Union for Reform Judaism, formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, is the synagogue arm of Reform Judaism in North America, representing 1.5 million Reform Jews in more than 920 congregations across the United States and Canada. Union programs and services include youth camps, music and book publishing, adult education opportunities, outreach to unaffiliated and intermarried Jews, and the Religious Action Center in Washington, D.C.