Temple Beth David: A Welcoming Place for All in Gwinnett

For many people, our world seems upside down. Hate and intolerance are no longer hidden away. The fear felt in many communities is palpable. Whether Hispanic, African-American, Muslim, LGBTQ or Jewish, many people live in fear.

Temple Beth David provides a safe, welcoming, accepting and healing environment for everyone.

Temple Beth David in Snellville, just 20 minutes east of the Perimeter, right off Route 78, is a proud member of the Union for Reform Judaism. Our Friday evening Shabbat services follow the Reform model, while our Saturday morning services are more geared toward the Conservative model. In short, there is something for everyone.

Temple Beth David prides itself on being a sanctuary for Jews, whether they have practiced throughout their lives or are returning to Judaism after decades away.

We are just as much a sanctuary for those who are not Jewish. Our members come from all walks of life and include people of many races and backgrounds, political beliefs, abilities and disabilities.

For those interested in education, we offer Sunday and Hebrew school and confirmation classes for children. Programs for our teenagers are filled with field trips and in-depth discussions on a variety of Jewish topics, from ethics to history, and each summer they present a musical revue to a standing-room-only crowd.

In response to many requests for adult education, special classes from mah-jongg and belly dancing to American Sign Language are in place. Our professional and certified education staff is expanding our educational offerings by developing adult b’nai mitzvah classes as well as classes in basic, intermediate and advanced Hebrew. We also will be offering conversion classes for those who think Judaism is right for them.

To ensure that our temple is available to everyone, we have reduced our fees for membership, tuition and tickets for our High Holiday services for those who have yet to become members of Temple Beth David. If your current circumstances make our fees out of reach, please know that you are welcome regardless of your financial situation.

While our search for a permanent, full-time rabbi is underway, Rabbi Richard Baroff often joins cantorial soloist Barry Nickelsberg on the bimah. For those who remember classically trained cantors’ voices, we invite you to take a step back in time and listen as our chazzan leads our High Holiday choir and congregation in song, then continues that musical celebration throughout the year.

If you are a musician and would like to become part of our musical Shabbat program, we always have room for one more.

On the first Friday of each month, we celebrate a family Shabbat, with a potluck dinner at 6:30 p.m. followed by a service designed for children and appreciated by adults. These services are led by Paul Weiss, our director of education, who is also an award-winning professor at Emory University.

Also from Emory is Rabbi Jonathan Crane, who leads our High Holiday services. Our sanctuary comfortably seats 300 people, and its stained-glass windows and ark provide an ideal setting for quiet contemplation.

Whether you have been with our synagogue for 35 years or this is your first time through our doors, we strive to make sure you feel welcomed, appreciated and respected. If you would like to become involved in our activities, great. If you prefer solitude, we will be there for you when you need us.

We invite you to join us on Sept. 20 and 21 and again Sept. 29 and 30 for Rosh Hashanah and for Yom Kippur. We also invite you to join us on Fridays throughout the year at 7 p.m. and on Saturday mornings at 11, or visit our Sunday morning classes at 9:30 and see for yourself why we are excited by our services and by our educational programs.

All of us at Temple Beth David wish you and your loved ones a very happy, healthy and safe new year.

Barry Nickelsberg is the president and cantorial soloist at Temple Beth David.