Life Cycle Events

Jewish Life Cycle Events are a subset of rituals generally, which communicate and strengthen group values and norms, promote family and group bonds, and provides public expressions for personal life passages.

From the moment we are born to the moment our lives end (and even in the days and months in which others anticipate and mourn our days and our deaths), Jewish traditions—ancient and evolving—provide ritual and ceremony, grounding the journey of human life and placing it in the content of covenant, belief, and history.

Here at Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El we join together during important events in the lives of our congregants.

Welcoming an infant girl into Judaism

The birth of a girl is celebrated and welcomed into the Jewish community and the covenant by having the baby and her parents come to the Torah for an aliyah shortly after her birth. After the aliyah, a short prayer is recited and the girl’s Hebrew name is announced.

Brit Milah

Brit Milah, according to Genesis, is the oldest ritual in Judaism. In Genesis 17, God commands Abraham to circumcise himself and his entire household as a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham. In subsequent generations, boys are to be circumcised at eight days.

Today, we continue the practice of having a brit milah for boys at eight days old. However, if there is any doubt that circumcision will hurt the infant, the ceremony is postponed. Included in the ceremony is the bestowing of a Hebrew name on the child. The child is now a member of Jewish people and deserves to be called by a Hebrew name.

If the child is healthy, the brit should take place on the eighth day regardless of what day it is including Shabbat and holidays. There are many qualified mohelim in the Phildelphia area who are ritually and medically trained in the performance of circumcisions. Please contact Rabbi Cooper for recommendations.

A Jewish wedding ceremony may be held at TBH-BE with the coordination of Rabbi Neil Cooper, Hazzan Eugene Rosner, and Barbara Schwartz, Facilities Director. A wedding may be held in the Sanctuary or Holocaust Memorial Chapel under our beautiful chuppah, hand-embroidered by members of the synagogue.

Our clergy will work with you to ensure that your funeral and shiva are as simple a process as possible. The clergy will work with the Funeral Home on the major arrangements. Our Hesed Network is there to provide added support during this time.

Please call Barbara Schwartz at 610.649.5300 or email at bschwartz@tbhbe.org for more information or to arrange your event.