Search results for: Synagogues

The Israeli Institute for the Advancement of the Deaf and the national-religious rabbinic association Tzohar joined together on Purim to hold for the first time a sign-language megila reading for the deaf and hard of hearing. More than 600 people turned up to the Tel Aviv International Synagogue on Saturday night for the unique reading of the Book of Esther, one of the central customs of Purim.

Pauline Dubkin Yearwood writes about an innovative “multi-faceted values and leadership development program for Jewish 22-30-year-olds”, implemented by Rabbi Wendi Geffen, associate rabbi at North Shore Congregation Israel. The 'Beyond and Back' (B&B) program, has two tracks geared to two types of young adults who may be at different mileposts in their Jewish journey.

Synagogue Web sites are — after an agonizingly slow start — coming of age. Rabbis are blogging and posting sermons on YouTube. Members are signing up and paying for classes online. And several synagogues have launched virtual yahrtzeit boards — complete with e-mail reminders. With the High Holy Days past, many synagogues are contemplating ways to fill their pews on a regular basis. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, the key to building a physical sense of community may well lie in enhancing a synagogue’s online community, social media experts say. That’s why, despite the slumped economy, more and more congregations are realizing the importance of investing in fresh, easy-to-navigate synagogue Web sites (preferably equipped with “donate now” buttons).

Canfei Nesharim is accepting applications from synagogues to join their 2009-10 Synagogues Pilot, the second phase of the Synagogue Pilot, to run Torah-based environmental programs in their communities. The participating synagogues will carry out a full year-long series of programs on the environment related to themes in the Jewish year, designed by Canfei Nesharim and implemented in seven synagogues around the US during this year's first phase of the pilot.