Make books your companions.
Let your shelves be your treasure grounds

Judah ben Saul Ibn Tibbon, Spanish Jewish Scholar

The Carl Kales Memorial Library of Beth El Temple Center is a treasure, a small jewel of a library, nurtured over the life of the congregation by a dedicated group of volunteers. Our small, eclectic collection is quite remarkable, housing a variety of resources designed to promote and support lifelong Jewish learning.

The library contains thousands of books, and audiovisual materials on a broad range of Jewish subjects. It serves our diverse community with offerings of interest -- to young and old, to those with considerable knowledge, as well as those with no formal Jewish education. Borrow items for pleasure and entertainment, to satisfy your curiosity, stimulate your intellect, or to inform and educate. Please stop by and browse our shelves – you’ll be surprised by the interesting books in our collection. Most of our collection can be searched via our computerized catalogue by title, author, subject, or keyword.

Borrowing Items
We rely on an honor system and self check-out. Instructions are posted in the Library. Please do not remove anything from the Library without signing it out.

Donations

Over the course of many years, the library has benefited from the donation of books and other items, and from the contribution of funds.  When you donate a book, whether out of intellectual interest or to celebrate a simcha, the entire congregation benefits from your generosity.

There are two ways you can give to the Carl Kales Memorial Library:

• Library Books Fund: Just click through to the online donation page and select the Library Books Fund to make a donation online.  Instructions are available on that page to make an offline payment as well.
• Amazon Wish List: The library maintains three wish lists at Amazon.com.
  
  • Audiovisual
  • Adult Books
  • Children's Books
  If an item on the wish lists strikes your fancy, buy a library-quality (very good - new) copy, and it will be shipped directly to the temple.  Please send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it when you order a book this way, and advise the library of any requests for names (and addresses) of honorees, bookplate wording, etc.

We always can use help. If you would like to help support the library, whether or not you are able to make a regular time commitment, we will welcome you. Please contact the Chair of the Library Committee or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Please do not drop off any materials for the library without first discussing your contribution with the Library Committee.

Occasionally our community comes together around a theme, and this year we’ve decided to weave the idea of “telling our story” into our programming. At Beth El Temple Center, we’ve begun to share our Jewish stories with one another. What role does Judaism play in our lives? How did it shape our childhood or enter our lives as adults? How does our Judaism express itself in our work of Tikkun Olam, study, or celebrations? As Rabbi Kraus would ask, how are we living the Torah?