https://www.templeisrael.info/events-2-1 daily 0.75 2022-11-27 https://www.templeisrael.info/events-2-1/event-one-5yk2j monthly 0.5 2022-11-27 https://www.templeisrael.info/events-2-1/event-two-87r8g monthly 0.5 2022-12-01 https://www.templeisrael.info/education daily 0.75 2021-08-19 https://www.templeisrael.info/get-social daily 0.75 2024-03-05 https://www.templeisrael.info/contact-us daily 0.75 2025-02-23 https://www.templeisrael.info/donate daily 0.75 2021-08-13 https://www.templeisrael.info/home daily 1.0 2025-09-18 https://www.templeisrael.info/live-stream daily 0.75 2025-02-23 https://www.templeisrael.info/our-rabbi daily 0.75 2025-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/1627052809447-DPRFPU74DHJU7B38FT8M/D830D980-6EC7-4223-946C-4F95C2B3F0D7_4_5005_c.jpeg Our Rabbi - Our Rabbi Rabbi Shoshana Feferman was born and raised in Israel and served in the Israeli army with the rank of sergeant major. While in the army she met Robert Feferman, an American also serving in the Israeli army. They married and eventually settled in South Bend, Indiana, Bob's hometown. Rabbi Feferman has been involved in Jewish education since coming to this country, both as a Hebrew teacher and as the vice-principal of the Temple BethEl Religious School in South Bend. She was ordained a rabbi in June 2005 at the Rabbinical Seminary International in New York City. Rabbi Feferman spends two weekends a month with our congregation. In addition to officiating at our bi-monthly Shabbat services and our special holiday services, Rabbi Feferman leads our Saturday morning Adult Torah Study program, oversees our weekly Sunday School program, and teaches Hebrew to our students who are studying for their Bnei Mitzvah. https://www.templeisrael.info/about-us-1 daily 0.75 2025-03-04 https://www.templeisrael.info/life-cycle-events-1 daily 0.75 2023-05-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/1627163949986-K3PHBXZURWRAW8FP3KQC/FD8B8EB1-F842-4F42-AA37-3DEF5492D727_4_5005_c.jpeg Life Cycle Events - Life Cycle Events. Jewish rituals from birth to the end of life are included in the worship services when these special occasions arise. These events enhance the sense of community that sustains our synagogue and strengthens our bonds of fellowship. https://www.templeisrael.info/our-board daily 0.75 2026-03-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/6c38a500-33d6-4351-b3c7-338bab45cef7/Board2025Photo+copy.jpg https://www.templeisrael.info/bnai-mitzvah daily 0.75 2025-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/1628866223680-WZ57P30NL9LL6417GCOQ/9AA5BA2A-7113-42DE-9204-CF7E5525BFEB.jpeg Bnai Mitzvah - Bnai Mitzvah Our Sunday School curriculum, in addition to learning Jewish Bible and history, emphasizes Hebrew language study in order for our students to be able to read the prayers that constitute our religious services. When a student reaches his or her 13th birthday, they are eligible for entry into the adult congregation. They are expected to lead Shabbat services and, in celebration of this event, they have their Bnai Mitzvah ceremony. For a girl, the religious ceremony is called a Bat Mitzvah; for a boy, it is called a Bar Mitzvah. Several Bnai Mitzvahs are held during the year to celebrate the religious coming-of-age of our Sunday School students. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah student conducts Friday evening and Saturday morning Shabbat services assisted by Rabbi Feferman. All members of the congregation are cordially invited to participate in the Bnai Mitzvah festivities. https://www.templeisrael.info/baby-naming daily 0.75 2022-05-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/1629383934466-IXZEGAWV3IXDIKNJ517I/C6D41183-1397-4457-B7B8-F7B33F141F8F.jpeg Baby Naming - Baby Naming It is with great joy that we welcome new babies into our congregation! To celebrate their arrival a special baby-naming ceremony is included in our Shabbat service. Prayers for health and happiness are offered to both parents and child and the baby is formally given both Hebrew and English names as they are welcomed into the congregation. Parents and grandparents may also host refreshments after the Shabbat service in honor of the special occasion. https://www.templeisrael.info/confirmation daily 0.75 2025-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/1628866269176-GJTADBUDEW6DETOBXUHN/05E7AE27-2CB4-4B93-B7E5-BD1C4098895F.jpeg Confirmation - Confirmation. Formal religious training continues after the Bnai Mitzvah with a two-year Confirmation Class so that our teenagers continue to be involved in religious study and participate in communal activities throughout their teen years. The course of study emphasizes Jewish ethical and philosophical teachings and how these values affect life experiences. Students also study the Holocaust in-depth, the saga of the state of Israel's birth, and its place in the world today. Many of the students also are able to have the experience of going to Israel with Rabbi Feferman and seeing firsthand what Israel is like. It is an extraordinary experience for the class. Some of our teenagers also work as teachers' aides in Sunday School and thus continue their commitment to Jewish study and heritage. https://www.templeisrael.info/news-letter-1 daily 0.75 2023-05-03 https://www.templeisrael.info/funerals daily 0.75 2025-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/1628866626839-GO39QBAJTHBXSE4QH2EZ/88937EDC-F154-4EFC-8B6B-3C62DA3E69FB.jpeg Funerals - Funerals Funeral services can be conducted in the temple sanctuary or at local funeral homes. Burials take place in the Jewish section of Valparaiso's Graceland Cemetery. If the family wishes, a meal of consolation is served to mourners in the temple community room after interment. Members of the congregation prepare and serve the meal as a way to pay their respects to the family. If the family prefers, they may have the meal of consolation in their home. Shiva services take place in the home of one of the family members. https://www.templeisrael.info/marriage daily 0.75 2025-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/0e8c0a33-4b4b-4d4b-8172-69240ebe0d38/IMG_9622.jpg Marriage - Marriage It is with great pleasure that the congregation celebrates a member's marriage. The temple is always available for weddings, and many weddings are also held in other venues such as hotels, banquet centers, etc.. Rabbi Feferman will officiate wherever the bride and groom choose to have their ceremony. If the non-Jewish partner seeks conversion to Judaism, Rabbi Feferman will gladly teach the prospective convert the tenets of Judaism in preparation for conversion. It should be noted that non-Jewish persons who wish to convert to Judaism, whether or not they are planning a marriage, are cordially welcomed into our congregation. After a period of study with Rabbi Feferman and attendance at religious services, they will have a conversion ceremony and become active participants in the life of the congregation. https://www.templeisrael.info/sunday-school daily 0.75 2022-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/1628866705880-BST5KAXABSR29Y9ZUOV2/540A3050-110A-4959-B511-73578EC780E5.jpeg Sunday School - Sunday School. Our Sunday School begins in kindergarten and continues through the freshman year of high school. Classes are held on Sunday morning and include Jewish Bible study, Hebrew study, religious services, and training for the Bnai Mitzvah service. Emphasis is placed on each student's participation in the Jewish community, including developing a bond with Israel, its people, and the land. In Sunday School, students also begin Hebrew language study in the intermediate classes. Hebrew curriculum continues until the student is fully prepared for his/her Bnai Mitzvah. Our Hebrew study also focuses on the ethical teachings of Judaism and the meaning and the order of the prayers in the religious service. Formal religious training continues after the Bnei Mitzvah with a two-year Confirmation Class so that our teenagers continue to be involved in religious study and participate in communal activities throughout their teen years. Some of our teenagers also work as teachers' aides in Sunday School and thus continue their commitment to Jewish study and heritage. https://www.templeisrael.info/adult-education daily 0.75 2025-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/1627163823159-OBY86T6ELU3BDXREK9ZZ/490E7A70-4055-445C-BB4F-A90E945EFFA7.jpeg Adult Education - Adult Education. Our congregation is fortunate to be located in an area with many nearby colleges and universities, including Valparaiso University, which enables us to have access to experts in interesting fields of study. Whenever possible, we try to develop adult education programs that utilize the intellectual talent that surrounds us. In the past, we have had programs about the Dead Sea Scrolls and what they have revealed about the early Scriptures and a memoir about life in WWII Poland under Nazi occupation. https://www.templeisrael.info/sermons-1 daily 0.75 2021-08-13 https://www.templeisrael.info/worship daily 0.75 2025-03-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/1627512843354-GV84M82T0TCZPYXGFSLL/45126BBE-5704-402E-AD20-77D0696DEB81.jpeg Worship https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/1627512979246-GYVE6QJVZ75HD1DH9VGU/3BCD4C2A-D2EB-407C-982B-FC1225C2DD36_4_5005_c.jpeg Worship https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/1627513043868-J1OI3NVLZ16JRV1BK8ZG/8C10EF4C-B464-4EAB-B9C8-C049C855634E.jpeg Worship https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/1627513234318-XR0YK4Q0FKRY3M0TGB0W/3CCC8DEB-D559-4C10-99E1-276F2DFCFD81.jpeg Worship https://www.templeisrael.info/membership-1 daily 0.75 2021-08-19 https://www.templeisrael.info/member-areas-1 daily 0.75 2022-12-01 https://www.templeisrael.info/donations daily 0.75 2022-12-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/3302ee39-6e72-4dcd-b6c0-4b0720a14a75/D41B6850-92AA-4F31-AEFA-B662E8A7A9FB.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/268897a3-a1c5-4e62-933a-7d296f721438/285642E0-F24F-4FDF-88F9-A7AD97CB0F1B.jpeg https://www.templeisrael.info/donations-1 daily 0.75 2025-09-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/60f89d1f37ef8477a3ab0353/89368376-d846-4c96-a7b7-3d7ff2185dbc/A46FBA5C-0EFE-4B2B-82FD-A9B442F18FB3.jpeg