Zoning Commission meets August 3rd to hear about plans for the largest Jewish Boca Raton congregation (and one of the largest in the US) to build a new educational facility in West Boca. A pre-school and religious education center is planned for the Reform Temple. It may include 10 pre-school classrooms, 10 religious education classes and a multi-purpose area. Regular services will not be held there, but special religious gatherings may be conducted occasionally for special events. Children attend grades Pre-K and K.Temple Beth El wants to build on 6 acres at the corner of Cobblestone Way and Ponderosa Drive.
The Temple, located at 333 SW Fourth Avenue, is about to celebrate its 40th Anniversary, and according to Rabbi Dan Levin, has grown from “a handful of people to one of the largest Jewish communities in the county.” The Rabbi said, “This is no longer central. We are central in the hearts of the congregation but not in their neighborhoods… we have so many families who live north and west of the synagogue.” Some students attending religious school classes have been moved to rental space in Omni Middle School and Eagle’s Landing School. Rabbi Levin said that this has worked fairly well, but attending classes “in a sacred space” should be part of the religious experience.
According to the Rabbi, about $5MM has been raised through preliminary fund raising and the capital campaing will be launced in the fall with a goal of $10-$12MM.
Website for Temple Beth El is TREBOCA.com. Phone number for the Temple is 561-391-8900.
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