Our Interm Rabbi

​Welcome to Beth Hillel Temple! I am so pleased that your search into our congregation has brought you to this page. As Beth Hillel’s interim rabbi, I am excited to partner with the congregation in this year of transition, as the congregation prepares to welcome their new settled rabbi and looks forward to celebrating 100 years of Jewish life in Kenosha!  This is a vibrant, warm, and inviting congregation of over 130 units, including families of all varieties, singles, and couples in all age groups. 

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A proud member of the Union for Reform Judaism, we take seriously the URJ’s commitment to “audacious hospitality,” striving to be an inclusive congregation, welcoming interfaith families, Jews of all ethnic and racial backgrounds, gay, lesbian, trans, and gender fluid and non-conforming individuals.  Beth Hillel Temple has become a regional draw that attracts folks from all around Southeastern Wisconsin and Lake County, Illinois. 

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Before I came to Beth Hillel Temple, I served as the founder and Executive Director of Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice. I also am the Chair of the Wisconsin Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. I have been a member of the Executive Committee of the NAACP of Dane County, a board member for the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, and a founder and steering committee member for the Dane Sanctuary Coalition.

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I am inspired by Leviticus 19. Known as the Holiness Code because of the opening refrain “Be holy, for I Adonai your God am holy,” it provides examples of what it means to be ‘holy’.  Rather than focusing on details of ritual and worship, the Holiness Code presents a series of laws about how we treat one another, and the type of society we want to create.  It is a society where all people are respected, regardless of age, economic situation, physical abilities, or citizenship status; where our law courts are just and our economic system honest; and where we all look out for one another’s welfare.  It is this foundational teaching of Judaism that has informed my life and my rabbinate.  

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​Our congregation has been a key player in communal affairs and justice work since the 1920s.  Beth Hillel Temple is an active participant in local faith-based community organizing as a member of Congregations United to Serve Humanity (CUSH). The CUSH offices are housed in our building.​

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As we approach the Centennial of Beth Hillel Temple in 2025, I am impressed by the wonderful sense of community within the walls of our historic building and all that we continue to achieve in spite of our small size.   We never allow our small numbers or limited resources to hamper us in our goals.  We are proud that many of our youth have become leaders in NFTY, the Reform youth movement and our regional camp, OSRUI, and some have even become rabbis and Jewish educators.  We have taken several congregational trips to Israel and hold intergenerational retreats every other year.  We have a strong commitment to Social Action and have twice won the URJ’s coveted Fain Award for Social Justice, often the only small congregation among those recognized.  Seeing the need for accessibility in our old building with a sanctuary on the top floor, the congregation raised enough funds from among our own members and former members to install an elevator and accessible restrooms in 2018, completely transforming our building, while retaining its unique and historic character.  Shabbat services are held every week, and every holiday is observed, with the occasional leadership of our own, home-grown, lay leaders, when the rabbi is away.  Adult and youth education is vibrant and ever-changing to meet the needs of the congregation.

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Please check out our website and discover more of what we are about.   And if you choose to stop by and see us, please introduce yourself to me and to our other members.  We love newcomers!

 

​To contact Rabbi Margulis via email: rabbibonnie@bethhillel.net