Shabbat Evening Services
Join us on Friday evenings as we welcome Shabbat together. Our Kabbalat Shabbat services are intimate, musical, and spiritually uplifting. Our cantorial soloist, Ilana Davidson, often joined by wonderful musicians, leads this service twice a month, with beautiful melodies accompanying the liturgy. Our congregation joins in song and prayer, singing familiar congregational melodies together.
On Shabbat, we recite the kiddush over wine (or grape juice) and honor our beloved family members who passed away during their yahrzeits.
We meet at 6 pm year-round.
Shabbat in Harmony
Shabbat in Harmony
Friday, December 13, 2024
Pre-service music begins at 5:45 PM
Shabbat Services 6:00 PM
Please join cantorial soloist Ilana Davidson and her marvelous musician friends on Shabbat evening!
Beautiful accompaniment and harmonies enhance our traditional Shabbat evening service. Familiar melodies of the Friday evening liturgy will fill our beautiful sanctuary with harmony and prayer.
A light Oneg Shabbat will follow after services.
Musical Friday Night Services
Once a month, we offer a Revivalist-inspired musical Friday night service, led by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Laura Wolfe. Check our calendar to see upcoming dates.
Shabbat (Saturday) Morning
Our service is highly participatory, with those in attendance invited to play whatever role feels comfortable, from opening the ark or reciting a poem in English to reading Torah or having an aliyah. You will most likely be invited to the bimah for an honor when you come, but are always welcome to decline if you do not feel comfortable.
We share the prayer space with everyone in attendance, and all are welcome.
There is a “pray ground” corner in our sanctuary where children are free to play during services.
Our rabbi does not sermonize, but rather leads us in Torah discussions where our congregants are encouraged to engage, comment, and share. About once a month, our rabbi and hazzan lead a learner’s minyan and study session.
Our Tot Shabbat and Hebrew school children join us on the bimah at the end of services for a spirited conclusion.
After Services
After services, we have a sumptuous kiddush lunch, where we relish the opportunity to schmooze and connect socially with one another. Often, congregants sponsoring the kiddush treat the community to delicious delicacies, giving the luncheon an extra special touch. Other times, we might celebrate birthdays at kiddush, replete with cake and ice cream.
It has been rumored that ours is the best kiddush in Rockland, but naturally, we don’t partake in such whisper campaigns (#BestKiddushInRockland).
