So you’re thinking about having your Jewish wedding at sunset. . .

 On a beautiful beach, On a tropical island,   With palm trees gently waving,

And the sounds of the Caribbean Sea providing background music.

All that and more is possible in Puerto Rico.

The island is easy to reach;   Requires no passport;   Has unsurpassed facilities to make your wedding a truly special day. 

What’s more, Temple Beth Shalom, the Reform Jewish Congregation of Puerto Rico, can help you turn your wedding plans into beautiful reality.  [Read More]

Today, many parents are opting to celebrate their child’s Bar or Bat Mitzvah away from home.  

Traditionally, the choice has been Israel.  But with the current economic and political uncertainty,

other alternatives are often considered. We would like to offer another option:  

The facilities of Temple Beth Shalom, The Reform Jewish Congregation of Puerto Rico. 

 We are a small (60 family), friendly, Reform congregation in the heart of beautiful San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

We can help you create a warm, unforgettable, religious and family experience.  [Read More] 

On June 6, 2003, 13 congregants of Temple Beth Shalom shared the bima to become B’nei Mitvot. Following is a speech given by Barbara Ezratty to express the congregant’s thoughts on this momentous occasion.

I speak for 13 of us; 13 adults who have made a commitment to be closer to God, closer to the Commandments, closer to our community. We are the current Bar and Bat Mitzvah class of Temple Beth Shalom.

None of us is 13 years old, although we have now individually experienced the same joy and exultation that comes with having read from the Torah whether one is 13, 33 or 60-something.

We are 13 adults who are as different as can be: some men, some women; some old, some younger; some Jews by birth, some Jews by choice; some English speakers, some Spanish speakers; some city dwellers living nearby, some island residents who drive three hours to come to Hebrew class and bible study and Shabbat services.

There are many differences between us, individually. But collectively, we are one. We have studied together, planned together, laughed together and worried together.

Our joint bar and bat mitzvah has formed us into a community within a community; we are the adult members of Temple Beth Shalom in San Juan, Puerto Rico, who, on this holiday of Shavuot in 2003, -- with the patient help of our Hebrew teacher Linda Rotem and with the help of our learned Rabbi Moti Rotem, --- have achieved what was once only a distant desire.

It was not easy… but it was inspiring. All those classes were not convenient … but they fed our determination to succeed. And if one of us did get discouraged at times, there were 12 classmates to offer support.

And so 13 has become a special milestone for us, as well as for teenagers who become Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Thirteen is special to us, not because of our age, but because of our number. We are 13 adult bar and bat mitzvah. We astound ourselves!

Our commitment, our studies, our achievement has surpassed all our differences and made us one. This is a day that will be a part of us always; that we will always look back on and remember proudly as the day of our renewed commitment to Judaism.

For that, we say:

Thank you Rabbi.

Thank you Linda. Thank you, classmates.