Worship at Beth Israel Judea seeks to nurture the Jewish soul. From the chanting of the Torah at our weekly Shabbat morning minyan to the variety of our Erev Shabbat services, you will find opportunities to fill your heart.
Rabbi Danny Gottlieb and Cantorial Soloist Ricki Weintraub are committed to a Judaism that is vibrant, relevant and compelling, and making Beth Israel Judea your “spiritual home.” We hope to rekindle and strengthen your relationship with G*d in our worship.
The congregation uses Siddur Eit Ratzon and Mishkan Tefillah prayerbooks. These modern prayerbooks feature Hebrew prayers with side-by-side English transliterations and translations as well as meaningful additions and commentary.
Our weekly Shabbat morning minyan, led by Rabbi Gottlieb blends the traditional Hebrew service and nusach chanting with beautiful contemporary prayer music. The service is followed by a delicious Kiddush luncheon.
Each of our Friday night Erev Shabbat services takes a different approach to the Shabbat:
On the first Friday evening of the month, we offer a Tot Shabbat service for families with pre-readers, followed by a communal Shabbat dinner. After dinner we join in a family-friendly service led, in part, by children from our B3 Religious School . The evening is a joint celebration with our friends from B’nai Emunah Congregation, and the service is lead by Rabbi Gottlieb, Rabbi Mark Melamet and Cantorial Soloist Ricki Weintraub. Check our website each month to see whether the service is at B’nai Emunah or BIJ.
The second Friday evening of the month is our Shabbat in the ‘Hood, where the chavurah-style service is held in the home of a BIJ member. Each month we travel to a different neighborhood to spread the experience around. This is a great service to welcome new members.
On the third Friday evening, BIJ celebrates a “Friday Night Feast,” a catered Shabbath dinner followed by table singing of Z’mirot, Sabbath songs, and a speaker. Kaddish is said for those remembering a yahrzeit.
The fourth Friday night brings our innovative Sacred Hebrew Chant and Drum service, which combines congregational vocalists and a group of drummers. The service uses its own home-grown prayerbook and features close-harmony chants, a guided meditation and innovative prayer forms.
Of course, there are the festivals, holy days and services for special occasions, some lead by lay leaders, youth and synagogue groups such as the Jewish War Veterans.