Bet Yossef Community Center
It started with a clear vision: build a state-of-the-art community center, with the highest quality recreational, educational and arts facilities to ensure that all Jewish families in the Las Vegas Valley have an equal opportunity to discover and enjoy their community and heritage.
Rabbi Shmuel and Shaina Attal began implementing the vision in 2003: first offering services in the living room of a humble home, and then moving to a small storefront. Quickly blossoming in popularity, this Center offered and continues to offer an array of programs—from synagogue services and daily classes to cultural events and family celebrations.
But with the joys of success came the challenges of growth. Overflowing crowds and burgeoning enrollments, coupled with tight spaces and limited facilities, led to calls for more spacious quarters.
Now, thanks to generous donations from Toni and Victor Chaltiel, Vicky and Mordechai Yerushalmi, and Tiranit and Avi Shoshan, we are close to realizing the fulfillment of our original vision—a vibrant Jewish cultural center with the ability to serve the whole community.
When the vision is fully realized, the Bet Yossef Community Center of Las Vegas will be a beautifully designed, state-of-the-art center where Jews from all walks of life—regardless of background or level of observance—will feel welcomed and at home.
Imagine A Place…
- Where young and old come to study and explore the richness of their heritage.
- Where people come to help or be helped.
- Where people care. And smile.
- And always welcome you.
Living Legacy Program
Bet Yossef’s “Living Legacy Program” translates age-old Jewish rituals into hands-on projects that are educational and fun. The “Shofar Factory,” “Olive Oil Press,” “Model Matzah Bakery” and “Torah Factory” are some of the projects we offer, enabling thousands of children to discover Jewish practices in the most stimulating and meaningful way possible: through direct experience.
BYCC Academy Childhood Center
Bet Yossef Comunnity Center ” will offer programs such as “BYCC Academy,” “Mommy and Me,” “Jewish Story Time,” All have a distinctive way of kindling a child’s curiosity about their culture and heritage from the earliest of ages.
BAR/BAT Mitzvah Program
The many students who have prepared for their Bar/Bat Mitzvahs with Rabbi Shmuel and Shaina Attal have enjoyed an educational experience that guides them for years after. In addition to studying Hebrew and the Bible, children develop an understanding of their history and heritage. Through our unique program of study, kids develop a sense of connection to the land of Israel and deeply-rooted feelings of Jewish pride.
Summer Program
Bet Yossef’s summer program will help to provide the best of recreational activities against a backdrop of Jewish spirit and culture. An action-packed experience complete with sports, crafts, field trips and camping – in a stress-free, non-academic setting — will offer children an ideal outlet for creative expression and self-exploration.
Educational and Outreach Programs
Bet Yossef will offer an array of adult education programs. Classes and workshops will explore subjects ranging from the historical to the practical to the philosophical. Rabbi Shmuel and Shaina Attal’s students have come from all segments of the community–religious and secular alike. Their lessons arouse broad-based interest in Judaic scholarship and a passion for deeper knowledge and understanding. In addition to the Attal’s popular classes, Bet Yossef’s lecture series will feature some of today’s greatest thinkers and speakers in the academic, political and sociological arenas.
Community Outreach
At Bet Yossef, we will not wait for people to walk through the doors. We will go out and bring the joys of tradition to the community through a number of creative outreach programs, such as “Mitzvah Booths,” “Tefillin Tables” and “Shabbat Candle Lighting.” We’ll continue to make “House Calls,” since we will always be ready to assist those wishing to turn their kitchens kosher and/or affix mezuzahs on their doorposts. Bet Yossef’s outreach programs will be a driving force behind the development of a flourishing Jewish community.
Holiday Festivals
All Jewish holidays will be lively community affairs. Hundreds of worshippers have attended Rabbi Attal’s High Holiday services. Hundreds more join together in pride and solidarity at public menorah lightings and other Jewish events at hotels and malls across the Las Vegas Valley. A vibrant spirit of stories and songs will continue to captivate young and old at grand extravaganzas, community Passover Seders, Simchat Torah Dance-a-thons and Friday night dinners.
Library/Bet Midrash
Bet Yossef will fill a void in the community by offering an extensive library of Jewish books, periodicals and audio/visual materials for lending and research. Covering a broad academic range of Jewish study—from ancient writings to contemporary poetry, from Genesis to the Talmudic era, from the Holocaust to modern-day Israel—this library will become a vital resource for parents, children, teachers and students. The library will also double as a Bet Midrash—a study hall—for informal meetings, discussions and one-on-one study sessions.
Services and Facilities
CHAPLAINCY AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Whether visiting the sick or the incarcerated, whether counseling the troubled or the bereaved, whether providing for the needy or the lonely, Bet Yossef opens its doors and its hearts to those in crisis and distress. Be it a helping hand, a comforting shoulder, or a timely referral, Bet Yossef offers love, wisdom and support to all members of the community.
MIKVAH
One of the proudest moments of the Bet Yossef Community Center is the opening of its two Mikvehs, one dedicated for women, the other for men. The elegant, superbly decorated state-of-the-art mikvehs are together a vital spiritual anchor for families from miles around.
SYNAGOGUE
In the Synagogue, Rabbi Shmuel and Shaina Attal’s warm and welcoming approach has inspired thousands. Individuals and families come to worship and to celebrate, to interact and to connect. The atmosphere of Rabbi Attal’s services fosters a spirit of unity, friendship and hospitality. Holiday and weekend prayer services are open to all, and are always lively, engaging and inspiring. The beyond-capacity crowds that have been attending services and events make it clear that Bet Yossef urgently needs a spacious new sanctuary and multipurpose room. This large room—accommodating prayer services, lectures, holiday celebrations and lifecycle events—will, in fact, be the majestic centerpiece of the new Bet Yossef Community Center of Las Vegas.
THE PARENTING PLACE
It has been said that the most challenging occupation of all is parenting. Each child has his or her own unique set of gifts and challenges. Each new day brings with it a fresh set of issues and surprises. The demands are endless and the stakes have never been higher. Bet Yossef’s “Parenting Place” will provide emotional and spiritual guidance to parents faced with every sort of child-rearing issue–from coping with infant “all-nighters” to raising value-conscious children in the face of the opposing mores of society. The Parenting Place will be a particularly valuable resource for expectant and new parents. Workshops with trained professionals will focus on making the transition to parenthood a manageable and enriching experience, as it should be.