2007 - United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

congregants who had never previously participated in a worship leadership position, and have since gone on to
participate regularly. Children look forward to attendance and their comfort level is evident to all.
HONORABLE MENTION
CONGREGATION BETH EL
250-500 Norwalk, CT
Submitted Rob and Carie Cole 203-838-2719
From candle lighting on Friday night to Havdalah, throughout the year, Congregation Beth El observes Shabbat as a
community. Not simply the do’s and don’ts, not simply the prayers and Torah readings, but Shabbat in its entirety. For
everyone of all ages every time of day and all year-round, Shabbat is the centerpiece of synagogue life at Congregation
Beth El.
Rabbi Fish of Congregation Beth El, Norwalk, Connecticut, encourages people to observe Shabbat in all of its
facets. He does this not only by facilitating a relaxed, warm friendly environment in the synagogue, but also by
building a dynamic series of Shabbat dinners, by creatively using the synagogue’s proximity to the beach and by
extending an open invitation for people to join him and his family in their home Shabbat afternoons in the summer.
People are not invited to the Rabbi’s home in order to participate in Minchah, Ma’ariv or the Mourner’s Kaddish
(although these are part of the afternoon and evening), but rather for “Shabbat Basketball.” The relaxed and informal
atmosphere encourages those who would not normally keep Shabbat to come and spend Shabbat afternoon with their
community, to experience the rest of the Sabbath.
HONORABLE MENTION
JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF PARAMUS
250-500 Paramus, NJ
Submitted by Alan Jay 201-262-7691
Transliterated Siddur
Our congregation has long used the Silverman Siddur and is satisfied with its traditional Hebrew text, though much less
so with its dated English translation. We have also sought to make our services as inclusive and participatory as
possible for those with insufficient reading skills to actively participate in the Hebrew prayers. Unable to find a suitable
Siddur to replace the Silverman, we have produced a companion Jewish Community Center of Paramus Siddur
LeShabbat which is based on the Friday Night and Saturday Morning prayer books of the Jewish Publication Society.
Persian Shabbat
Our annual “Persian Shabbat” was instituted in 2005. We have a small but active group of Persian congregants who
worship with us regularly, and a smaller group of families of Iraqui and Moroccan heritage. We schedule one special
Shabbat morning around the holiday of Purim, dedicated to the religious and culinary culture of that community. We
draw upon as many of their younger and older members as possible to conduct the entire prayer services and Torah
reading in the Persian/Mizrahi style, including the use of a Sephardic Sefer Torah borrowed from another congregation,
and the ritual of the Blessing of the Kohanim (duchenen), which is performed only on this annual occasion.
Conservatively Speaking – E-mail Advisories
Recognizing that much of our congregation is undereducated with regards of Laws and Customs associated with The
Conservative Movement, the co-chair of our Religious Affairs Committee launches a column in our monthly JCCP
bulletin: its express purpose is to teach basic elements consistent with Conservative Observance. Consistent with the
premise behind Conservatively Speaking, our congregants seemed unaware of many minor holidays, and therefore could
not observe them. To this end, we began sending e-mail notifications of all minor holidays, minus fast days and Rosh
Chodesh, thereby enabling our congregants to choose to fulfill the mitzvot associated with greater observance.
HONORABLE MENTION
B’NAI SHALOM
250-500 West Orange, NJ
Submitted by Stephen Paul 979-731-0160
Summary of the Program