Worship at Judea Reform Congregation offers meditative quiet, group song and traditional Reform Jewish liturgy. We invite you to join us at a variety of services, each helping turn our attention to the gifts of creation, each helping renew our commitment to our covenant with God, each helping mix familiar language with the opportunity to see the world in new ways, and each helping us rise from prayer better persons.
In order to accommodate our diverse membership, we offer a variety of Shabbat worship services. Shabbat evening services are held on Fridays at 8:00 p.m. Babysitting is available for children three to eight years old. Our services are marked by thoughtful reading of the Torah, shared prayer, and a congregation that joins together joyfully in song lead by one or more of our wonderful lay cantors. These services often include bar and bat mitzvah blessings, ufruf (wedding recognitions) or celebrations of other simchas. Yahrzeits are announced at the end of the service. Every Friday, one of our Rabbis delivers an inspirational message, leads a discussion or teaches from the Torah. And what would Shabbat be without an Oneg Shabbat following services?
Shabbat evening family services, designed for families with children of elementary school age, are offered once a month on Fridays at 7:00 p.m. Using a colorful and specially-composed service, we sing, learn Torah and hear our Rabbi tell a story that entrances and teaches us all. Children and adults with birthdays in that month are invited to the bimah for a birthday blessing and a special present. Family services are always followed by an Oneg Shabbat and often preceded by potluck dinners in the Community Court.
For those who want to worship, learn and share a spiritual experience during the daylight hours, Saturday morning services are frequently held on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. (check our calendar). Saturday morning services often provide an opportunity to celebrate the bar or bat mitzvah or one of our young congregants. Our religious practices committee conducts Saturday morning services when no bar or bat mitzvah has been scheduled,
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Celebrating Shabbat in your home can be as simple as saying a blessing over a loaf of bread, or as elaborate as a meal for 8 guests served on your fine china. However you celebrate Shabbat, we are here to support you and encourage you in bringing a bit of peace, reflection, and joy to your home weekly.
Here are a few helpful resources for any Shabbat observance:
Celebrating Shabbat in your Home: readings, resources, and recipes for helping your home-based Shabbat observance, whether you are an individual, empty nesters, parents of teenagers, or parents of small children.
Blessings for Shabbat -- audio and text versions of the standard Shabbat blessings over candles, wine, bread, children, as well as Birkat HaMazon and Havdalah.
Prayers from the Shabbat Evening Liturgy -- audio and text versions of the common prayers from our prayerbook, Mishkah T'filah.
Prayers from the Shabbat Morning Liturgy -- audio and text versions of the common prayers from our prayerbook, Mishkan T'filah.
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Our other Saturday services may be led by one of the many active congregants who enjoy leading services, with the Rabbi joining in and leading Kaddish.
Gan Shabbat / Preschool Shabbat, an informal, interactive Shabbat service for families with pre-school through kindergarten age children, is held once a month. The Rabbi leads this service, plays guitar and helps families learn Shabbat songs and prayers. After the service, we come together for a snack in the Monsein Community Court
Throughout the year, Judea Reform celebrates the Jewish calendar with dedicated holiday services. From the blowing of the Shofar and waving of the lulav and etrog in the Sukkah, to cheering for the parading children at Purim and recognizing our young adults’ studies at Shavuot, we joyfully observe the many holidays and festivals of our people.
On the High Holidays we offer several options for worship. We hold traditional services in the evening and morning for Rosh Hashanah, and there are similar services in the evening and all day on Yom Kippur. We perform Tashlich at two different locations, one of which is specially designed for young children. Yom Kippur services include an afternoon study session and a special musical healing service. For both of the High Holy Days, we offer a family service for children in first through fifth grade with their families, and a "Mishpacha" service for our youngest congregants and their families.
Yizkor services are held at the end of Yom Kippur and Passover.
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Judea Reform Congregation has long been a congregation where member participation on the Bima is not only important -- but essential to our worship service.
Members celebrating birthdays, wedding anniversaries, membership anniversaries, anniversaries of Bar/Bat Mitzvah, graduations, births, and other happy occasions are invited to our Bima for a Shabbat Honor.
To celebrate Shabbat with us with an honor, please sign up. Please note -- only members are invited to participate. For all available honors, a Jewish person must recite any blessing, though a non-Jewish partner is welcome to stand with his/her partner on the Bima.
Text and Audio of the Blessings for Shabbat Honors:
Candle Lighting (text)
Candle Lighting (audio)
Torah Aliyah (blessings before and after the reading of the Torah) (text)
Torah Aliyah (audio)
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