DECEMBER 2 • 2021 | 17

OUR COMMUNITY

A

fter 17 years as 
Temple Beth El’s b’nai 
mitzvah coordinator, 
Alan Lowen is retiring from 
the role at the end of 2021. 
Lowen has spent a total of 34 
years at the temple. 
To honor Lowen, TBE is 
planning a special Shabbat 
service on Friday, Dec. 10, 
at 7 p.m. TBE is creating a 
memory book for Lowen that 
will be presented to him at 
the service. 
People contributed to 
the memory book in many 
ways, including writing 
tributes, submitting photos 
and making a donation in 
Lowen’s honor to the newly 
established Alan Lowen B’nai 

Mitzvah Fund. TBE will be 
using the fund to help fam-
ilies going through its b’nai 
mitzvah program. 
Throughout his time at 
TBE, Lowen has lived by the 
phrase, “If somebody loves 
what they do, they never have 
to work a day in their life.” 
“It’s been a wonderful expe-
rience, and I wouldn’t change 
it for the world,” Lowen says. 
“Just to make a difference in 
a kid’s life, and for a kid to 
say, ‘I wouldn’t be up here if 
it weren’t for Mr. Lowen,’ it 
makes me feel good.”
Lowen began at TBE as 
a special needs teacher on 
Saturday mornings, which 
turned into also teaching 

Sunday school. He soon 
began teaching Hebrew class-
es and, eventually, teaching 
Torah. 
Lowen officially became 
b’nai mitzvah coordinator 17 
years ago but worked with 
b’nai mitzvah students before 
then. Lowen estimates he’s 
helped nearly 1,000 kids with 
their b’nai mitzvahs in his 
time at TBE.
Debbie Morosohk, TBE’s 
director of education, knows 
much of Lowen’s success at 
running the b’nai mitzvah 
program comes from his skills 
as an educator.
“He’s so talented at under-
standing children and their 
individual needs, and he’s able 

to bring everything he knows 
and loves to them in the way 
they need,” Morosohk said. 
Along with his role as b’nai 
mitzvah coordinator, Lowen 
is TBE’s gabbai, working with 
TBE’s Torahs on Shabbat 
and holidays, maintaining 
and organizing them, and 
with adults who want to read 
Torah at those different occa-
sions.
Lowen’s other duties at the 
temple include teaching an 
adult b’nai mitzvah class for 
more than 20 years and help-
ing lead shivah services when 
needed.
TBE Rabbi Mark Miller 
believes Lowen is one of 
the warmest, kindest, most 

Alan Lowen has helped nearly 1,000 
kids with their b’nai mitzvahs.

PHOTO CREDIT

Alan Lowen retires as Temple Beth El’s b’nai mitzvah 
coordinator after 17 years.
Irreplaceable!

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER 

COURTESY OF TBE

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