Temple Beth Torah is a vibrant Reform Jewish Congregation located in the west-central Palm Beach County Village of Wellington. It considers itself “A Family of Families,” actively engaged in the lives of some 1,100 people – more than 100 young children in its accredited preschool, some 250 kids from kindergarten to grade 12 in its religious school programs, dozens of kids in its NFTY youth programs, and 750 adults who call Temple Beth Torah their spiritual home. TBT is active in the Wellington/Royal Palm Beach community, as well as the greater Jewish community of south Florida.
The Temple Beth Torah Brotherhood’s mission is to promote an ongoing relationship with G-d, Torah, Israel and the Jewish people through worship, study, culture and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), L’dor V’Dor (from generation to generation), with special emphasis on our youth as the path to the future. The TBT Brotherhood sponsors numerous social and volunteer activities during the year, ranging from events centered exclusively on the male members of the Temple, but also in conjunction with the temple’s Sisterhood.
2024/2025 Brotherhood President Paul Gaba joined Temple Beth Torah in 2019 and was the Brotherhood’s secretary for two years. Working with Brotherhood Vice President Sam Glucksman, Treasurer Roger Grave de Peralta, Secretary Bob Eisenberg and President Emeritus Joel Zaidspiner, Paul envisions a group which expands its social reach for Temple members, while staying true to its core values.
“I’ve been fortunate the past few years to work with Brotherhood’s officers and active members to learn about the Temple and about Brotherhood, and intend to take all of this and continue the positive activities we have been hosting,” Gaba said. “I’m also looking to increase our membership, and our focus to make this happen is to provide the Temple membership as a whole a variety of regular and new opportunities to socialize.“
Over the past year, the Temple Beth Torah Brotherhood offered a diverse array of varied programs to appeal of men of different ages including a monthly “Bros Night Out” social hour at different local venues. “In November, more than a dozen Brotherhood members enjoyed an evening of throwing axes and tomahawks at Seven Axes, raising $750 for donation to the American Friends of Magen David Adom“, said Paul Gaba. “We also donated $250 to “Bricks Busting Boredom,” which collects Lego bricks and donates them to children’s hospitals, homeless shelters, and emergency shelters.” In late December, Brotherhood members gathered to watch the NFL Thursday Night Football opening game (New Orleans Saints vs. the Los Angeles Rams). Other recent Brotherhood programs of note include participation in the annual Temple Beth Torah BBQ and Picnic at Loxahatchee Groves Park, followed by a Chanukah “Latkes & Vodka Party” and the Brotherhood’s annual No-Limit Texas Hold’em Charity Poker Tournament, as well as a day of Brotherhood and Baseball for MLB Spring Training at Cacti Park of the Palm Beaches to see the Miami Marlins take on the Houston Astros.
In the May/June 2024 issue of Temple Beth Torah’s “Shalom” Newsletter, Brotherhood President Paul Gaba reported:
“With one eye looking at the past year’s successes, your Temple Beth Torah Brotherhood is already hard at work plotting out really cool and exciting events for the 2024-25 calendar year. In May, your Brotherhood was extremely active. On the social arena, there was a well attended and extremely enjoyable pre-Cinco de Mayo Bros Night Out at Casa Tequila, which featured great food and a mariachi band. On the spiritual end, Brotherhood’s first-ever Yom HaShoah Hall of Remembrance saw 100 candles lit in memory of victims of the Holocaust. And in the scholastic arena, Brotherhood distributed scholarship checks to members of the Temple Beth Torah Class of 2024 at its Brotherhood Shabbat.
In the fall, look for a wide variety of activities, including our annual Kickoff Party and Football Night, monthly Bros Night Out social gatherings, building the Temple Beth Torah Sukkah, a poker night or two, opportunities to attend various south Florida sporting events, and much more! We will also be continuing to work with the Florida Region of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs and tapping into their vast collection of social and spiritual event ideas. Our calendar of events, which is updated regularly, can be found on the Brotherhood website, http://www.tbtbrotherhood.com/. You can also follow us on Facebook, and see pix from our events: https://www.facebook.com/tbtbrotherhood. We encourage every male member of Temple Beth Torah to be an active part of your Brotherhood. As you can tell from everything written previously, plus the many updates we send regularly via email, we offer a vibrant, energetic social and religious outlet for all of the congregation. With your membership and involvement, we can achieve above and beyond our many past successes. By joining us, you have a direct and positive impact on the future of this congregation. We are always looking for new and interesting social, spiritual and religious event ideas. Your membership can help us expand horizons. Interested? You can pay Brotherhood dues through a secure link on our website (http://www.tbtbrotherhood.com), or go “old school” and pay via personal check. And if you are a new member of Temple Beth Torah, your first year of Brotherhood membership is free, what a bargain!”
As we roll into summer 2024, Temple Beth Torah Brotherhood President Paul Gaba reports, “August sees the return of our popular monthly Bros Night Out social gatherings August 22 at Wellington’s Buffalo Wild Wings. Our first meeting of the new year is August 25, followed by attendance at the Florida Marlins’ Jewish Heritage Day contest against the Chicago Cubs that afternoon. On September 12, we will be having our annual Kickoff Party & Football Night at Wellington’s Buffalo Wild Wings; the Buffalo Bills are in Miami to take on our hometown Dolphins in a matchup of American Football Conference East rivals – be there! A charity poker tournament is also on the agenda for September. During October, we will be volunteering and operating a relief station at the annual The Western Ride charity bike event to raise money for Donnah’s Fund – Women In Distress, and will also be constructing the Temple Beth Torah Sukkah right after the High Holy Days take place.”
Temple Beth Torah Brotherhood President Paul Gaba invites you to learn more about the Brotherhood at http://www.tbtbrotherhood.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tbtbrotherhood. For more information please email Paul Gaba at westpaulbeach@gmail.com or tbtbrotherhood.execboard@gmail.com.
The Temple Beth Torah Brotherhood of Wellington, Florida is a proud member of the Florida Region of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs (FJMC). We are part of a confederation of over 200 Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods representing over 20,000 members across the United States, Canada, Latin America, and beyond. Learn more about how your Jewish Men’s Club or Brotherhood can affiliate with the FJMC at: https://fjmc.org/for-clubs/affiliating-with-the-fjmc/.
The Florida Region of FJMC serves the needs of affiliated Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods throughout the State of Florida. Get to know more about the FJMC Florida Region and our growing network of Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods at www.floridaregionfjmc.org and please visit and LIKE our Florida Region FJMC Facebook Group at www.facebook.com/FloridaRegionFJMC.
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