Today is March 19, 2024 /

Temple Israel

Temple Israel

Building Community Since 1954
A Progressive Conservative Synagogue Serving Central Florida

(407) 647-3055 | manager@tiflorida.org
50 S. Moss Rd., Winter Springs, FL 32708

Adult Education

Weekly Parasha Study Videos

Every Wednesday from noon to 1:00 pm Rabbi Neely hosts Lunch & Learn, a parashat discussion class. It’s open to the public, no RSVP needed, and the sessions are recorded for future viewings. We have here the latest six sessions; you can see the rest by visiting the Rabbi’s YouTube page here.

Check out this special video series, Haftarah Halfhour, featuring our very own Rabbi Neely & Jason from www.Spiritualbabies.net.


Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class

Taught by Rabbi Joshua Neely with assistance by Debbie Meitin, this class leads to adult bar/bat mitzvah. It includes learning prayers and their meaning, learning a portion of the Torah to be read in Hebrew in front of the congregation and learning the Haftorah portion, also read in Hebrew in front of the congregation. While anyone in the community is allowed to sit in on this class, only members of Temple Israel can have a bar/bat mitzvah ceremony.


Judaism in a Nutshell

This innovative class is held following the kiddush luncheon after Shabbat services on Saturdays in the Roth Social Hall. Most of the time, Rabbi Joshua Neely presents the subject matter; however, occasionally, there is a “guest” nutshell speaker. Lunch is usually from noon to 12:45 pm and the nutshell program starts at 12:45 to approximately 1:30 pm. Some of the topics from Rabbi Neely’s  “nutshells” over the last several years have been: Mashiach, Weddings, Kashrut, Jewish Prayer, Israel, Love & Intimacy and Ghosts, just to name a few of the more than 60 topics covered to date.

Shabbat is a time prayer and study. Judaism in a Nutshell is just one of the avenues where Temple Israel congregants and guests are able to continue to learn and reflect on various Jewish topics.  While the adults are enjoying the nutshell class, the children often play outside in Harriett’s Park, the synagogue’s new playground.


Conversations with Rabbi Neely

“Conversations” is a monthly program that gives the community a chance to meet and talk with Rabbi Joshua Neely in an intimate group setting. The uniqueness of this program is that it is always held outside of the synagogue, usually at a restaurant or bookstore. This kind of atmosphere is laid back, informal and very well attended. The topics are diverse. For example, at one “Conversation,” Rabbi Neely explained how the Israeli government works and compared it to our American system. At another, he spoke about architecture and how the privacy laws from Jewish literature thousands of years ago correspond with our present-day laws. There’s always discussion and lots of questions from the audience.

There is no charge to attend and everyone is welcome. Announcements for the next program appear on this website, in the Heritage newspaper and in the Orlando Sentinel call-to-worship section.