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Lunch With the Rabbi

Another great year of learning with Rabbi Kushner. Our Lunch With the Rabbi Adult Education class met for the last time this year just yesterday. A new class will start in the fall.

Our Mission

Temple Ner Tamid was founded in 1980 as the result of the merger of Temple B'nai Zion, a Conservative synagogue, and Temple Menorah, a Reform congregation. In 2008, it grew again with the merger of Beth Sholom Reform Temple. Today Temple Ner Tamid ("Eternal Light" in Hebrew) is affiliated with the Reform movement, and its culture reflects a unique blending of liberal values and traditional expression.

We acknowledge that our mission is to help people of all ages and backgrounds grow Jewishly, through:

Torah - Study
Avodah - Worship
G'milut Chasadim - Acts of Lovingkindness

All of the above work in concert to create and sustain a vibrant community. Our diverse congregation embraces the values of lifelong learning; inclusive, participatory and inspiring services; and repairing the world. As we learn and teach, live and pray together, we embrace each other and our Judaism with joy.

A Message from the Rabbi

Rabbi Yossi ben Yocahanan of Jerusalem taught: "Let your house be open wide..." Pirkei Avot 1:5).

In so many ways, this has come to be the signature of Temple Ner Tamid. From our very beginning as the merger of Bloomfield's only two synagogues – Conservative Temple B'nai Zion and Reform Temple Menorah – and now enriched by Clifton's Beth Sholom Reform Temple, Temple Ner Tamid is a community in the truest sense of that word.

We believe that first and foremost a synagogue should be a place where one can explore Judaism along with other fellow travelers on the sacred road to spiritual discovery. And to this end we endeavor to make our house as open and as welcoming as possible. The result is an uncommonly diverse yet inclusive community. We are interfaith households. We are single adults. We are multi-racial and same-sex and blended families. We come from a wide spectrum of backgrounds yet we all share a common vision of a Judaism where all expressions can find a place at the table.

I have often likened Judaism to a ma'ayan, a well-spring. It is a source of intellectual and emotional and spiritual nourishment. Through the words of Torah we drink of wisdom and mitzvah challenging us to be more, inspiring us to transform the world into the place the Holy One had intended it to be. We see ourselves as Shitufei Elohim / partners with God in our dream of Tikkun Olam / repairing the world. At Ner Tamid the ma'ayan is as wide as it is deep.

Join us. Enter our doorway. Both here on this website as well as at 936 Broad Street. Maybe it's just a coincidence that our street address shares the same meaning at Rabbi Yossi's teaching, to be open wide. But then again, I don't really believe in coincidences.

Welcome to Temple Ner Tamid.

A Message from the President

As I begin my term as President, I am excited about the coming year at Temple Ner Tamid.

As many in our community know, Rabbi Steven Kushner will retire in June of 2018 after having served our congregation for 37 years. The year will be full of events, some serious and some just plain fun, to pay tribute to his distinguished tenure as our Rabbi. It is an exciting time for us as we begin to search for and hire a new Rabbi and, soon after, welcome him or her into our community.

Temple Ner Tamid continues to offer a welcoming approach to Synagogue; we support and encourage people to find their entry into Judaism in a way that brings meaning and fulfillment to each individual. Temple Ner Tamid understands that not one size fits all and we offer a variety of programs, services and opportunities in which each person can participate as they choose. I encourage all current members and welcome all community members to join us at Ner Tamid to experience our open, spiritual, and musical brand of Jewish practice.

Like other faith based organizations in these times, we face pressing challenges. Temple Ner Tamid is unwavering in our commitment to Tikkun Olam, repairing the world and making it whole. That is a tall order and requires the participation of many people to make it happen. Only together can we make our congregation and the greater community around us more connected and just.

I look forward to seeing you all at Temple Ner Tamid.

L’shalom,

Ken Cohen




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