Temple Beth Hillel's 50th anniversary dinner began with a service. Several of the congregation's founders sat in the first rows, holding candles.

Temple Beth Hillel in South Windsor kicked off a year-long celebration of the congregation’s jubilee anniversary on Sept. 21 with a dinner attended by many of the shul’s founding members, past clergy and special guests.

“It is a wonderful and powerful thing to be able to bring together generations of a community and to share the memories that go back so far,” said Rabbi Neil Kominsky, the congregation’s first spiritual leader who attended the celebration.
The evening of prayer and nostalgia began when honorees entered the sanctuary carrying candles and then proceeded to light everyone else’s candle – as if passing the torch from one generation to the next. The evening’s prayer service was conducted using the original prayer books from the first synagogue. Children were called up to the bima for a special prayer. At the sold-out dinner following the service, founding members recalled their early memories of Beth Hillel.
Upcoming jubilee events include a special weekend, Nov. 5 -7, featuring guest speakers, an artist-in-residence, and a semi-formal dinner/dance gala. The 50th Anniversary celebration will continue through November 2011.