Temple Beth El breaks ground for West Boca campus
October 7th, 2008
By Dale M. King
CITY EDITOR
The new West Boca campus of Temple Beth El will bear the name of the two members of the congregation who co-chair, and donated to, the “Building Tomorrow Today” capital campaign.
When completed, the western education center will be called Temple Beth El of Boca Raton’s Beck Family Campus.
More than 350 congregants and guests gathered under a tent off Yamato Road just east of State Road 441 recently to celebrate groundbreaking ceremonies. Officials noted that Temple members Patty and Louis Beck made a generous donation to the fund-raising effort, and also chaired the drive.
“This was the culmination of many years of hard work and we’re very proud to be able to bring this state-of-the-art education facility to the Jewish families in our northern and western communities,” said Patty Beck.
Dignitaries attending ceremonies included State Sen. Ted Deutch; Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson; Bill Bernstein, president of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County and Tom Kaplan, president of the Adolph and Rose Levis JCC.
Art Siegel, vice president of Development and Facilities Planning for Temple Beth El, is heading up the construction team. He said Boca Raton architect Don Yoshino designed the new facility with the environment in mind.
“It will be the most eco-friendly school in the area,” he said. “From the air conditioning filtering system to an abundance of natural light, the aesthetically pleasing and eco-friendly buildings, courtyard, and playgrounds will provide students the best environment available in which to learn and play.”
"The Beck Family Campus brings Temple Beth El into the neighborhood where so many families in our congregation live,” said Rabbi Daniel Levin, senior rabbi at Temple Beth El. “It allows us to serve the Jewish community in greater Boca Raton with the same warm, engaging, nurturing, and inspiring spirit we are so proud of in our congregation," he said.
The six-acre facility will include an infant daycare center and outdoor play area, early childhood educational center and swimming pool, playground, religious school, and administrative offices.
Programs will include Mommy and Me, infant daycare, early childhood classes, religious school with Sunday and mid-week classes, youth programs, summer camp, family programs, adult continuing education courses, adult programs and instructional swim classes.
Temple Beth El of Boca Raton, established in 1967, is the city’s oldest Jewish house of worship and is located at 333 SW 4th Ave.
| 
