Longtime volunteer Lea Caplan, a retired CPA of 40 years who currently completes tax returns for lower-income seniors through AARP’s Tax Aide, will be honored at an enhanced Shabbat service at Temple Beth-El on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 10:30 a.m.
The community is welcome to attend and celebrate Caplan, an active participant in Sisterhood, Torah study, the rabbi’s Siddur class and the worship committee.
“Lea is always there to help out when you need her, from setting up Shabbat lunch to ensuring the technology is working properly,” said Rabbi A. Brian Stoller. “She is a dedicated student of Torah and prayer. An accountant by trade, she brings a logical, analytical approach to our class discussions. Her curiosity and sharp intellect are matched by her warm and caring heart. Lea is a treasure to the TBE community, and I feel blessed to know her.”
Prior to joining TBE when her older son was 5, Caplan and her husband, Sandy, spent Jewish holidays with their families. Caplan grew up in Albany and attended religious school from elementary through high school at Temple Israel, a Conservative congregation; her husband grew up in Port Washington and belonged to Temple Judea, a Reform synagogue.
“When Evan started kindergarten, we wanted him to begin in an after-school Jewish education program and had to decide whether to join a Conservative or Reform temple,” explained Caplan. “Sandy felt he would be uncomfortable at a Conservative one; I was willing to try a Reform temple, and we heard TBE had a great kindergarten program. This was 1990, and Cantor Lisa Hest had just started at TBE. I found her tunes familiar and knew it would be a great match.”
The family’s involvement began with religious school and Friday night services. Over time, Caplan and her husband joined Sisterhood, Brotherhood and the Young Couples Club, and they hosted several Hanukkah parties.
Their children participated in the annual Hanukkah plays, became bar mitzvah and continued through confirmation and senior seminar. Younger son, Seth, was co-president of TBE’s youth group.
In 2005, Caplan became Sisterhood treasurer, a position she held for six years. While her boys were teenagers, she returned to her Jewish studies and became a regular at Torah Study. When Seth left for college in 2006, she joined the adult confirmation class.
“The following two years were tough for Sandy and me, as he lost his father and I lost both my mother and stepmother,” noted Caplan. “Being part of Torah study and confirmation class were very comforting to me. During confirmation class, we studied some Central Conference of American Rabbis responsa, and I was able to discuss the Reform practices/attitudes dealing with death and dying with our rabbis. Though we knew we made the right choice by joining TBE, the confirmation class truly cemented our decision.”
A couple of years later, she was asked to join the Ritual Committee, now called the Worship Committee, and has been a member ever since. During Covid, she helped coordinate and lead Shabbat morning services on Zoom.
In addition to regularly attending weekly Torah Study and Rabbi Stoller’s Siddur class, for which she works on Owl Tech, Caplan is part of the small group The Advocates, TBE’s social justice group that promotes voting; has participated in all the Whitney Pond Park cleanups since TBE partnered with the Town of North Hempstead; and is an usher for Yom Kippur services.
“I know Lea through our work on the Worship Committee, our attendance at Torah Study and other classes, our participation at services and through social action and other activities,” said congregant Howard Herman. “She is an enthusiastic and perceptive participant in classes. Her observations and questions about our community are always on point and they demonstrate her selflessness and concern for the well-being of others. She more than carries her share of the work in everything she volunteers for. Her high moral and ethical standards reverberate through all that she does. I am proud to call her a friend and confidante.”
Being involved at TBE enriches her life in many ways.
“I gain in several aspects, reflected Caplan, “Shabbat services and the joy of singing and praying; studying in chavruta at Torah Study and in adult ed classes; helping at TBE, whether it is tech for Torah Study or ushering or on committees; and the overall friendship and community in each of these.”
Join Caplan for Shabbat at the peninsula’s first synagogue, located at 5 Old Mill Road in Great Neck, when she discusses the parashah Va’Eira, which includes the first six plagues. To learn more, call 516-487-0900, visit www.tbegreatneck.org or email info@tbegreatneck.org.
