Services at the WJC

Reminders

• When attending services, please be perfume and scent-free and avoid wearing furs; many of our congregants have allergies.
• We are a dairy-vegetarian facility. Please ensure that all food and drinks that you bring into the building meet these guidelines.
• For an listing of upcoming events, see our calendar and weekly e-newsletter (see the menu at the left of this page), or contact the shul.
• We celebrate Jewish holidays throughout the year. See our Holidays at a Glance and Calendar for more information.

Friday Evening Shabbat Services begin at 7:30 pm.

• On the First Friday of the month, please join us for a 6 pm Shabbat pot-luck. A wonderful Shabbat to engage the whole family — everyone is welcome! Bring a dairy/vegetarian dish to share for dinner, your own plates, silverware, and cups, and join in a beautiful beginning to Shabbat.
• On First Fridays, we hold a special Tot Shabbat at 5 pm for families with young children. Please join us!

Saturday Morning Shabbat Services begin at 10 am.

• Shabbat Community Days are an enriching part of our Family School program. It is a time to learn and pray together and is very valuable in showing our children that we are committed as a family. When we show value to something our children will learn the value as well. It also gives each family an opportunity to become familiar with the Saturday morning service which makes it easier to prepare for the Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
  Shabbat Community Days are generally held one Saturday a month starting at 10:00 am.

SPARKS

SPARKS is an acronym for Sacred Participation And Renewal Kehillat Lev Shalem. The goal of SPARKS is to create more congregational leadership within Shabbat services, enriching the spiritual strength of our community. We will accomplish this goal by good old-fashioned matchmaking to connect learning partners and mentors. Once connected, each team will explore different parts of the service, delving into any area that interests them.

Perhaps you would like to learn how to give a d’var Torah, how to lead a prayer in Hebrew or English, or how to dress and lift the Torah. SPARKS will match you up with a mentor who can teach you how these things are done. The wonderful thing about this program is one-on-one and small group mentoring. Participants don’t have to commit to a particular amount of time or a full series of classes in order to learn. Mentors and learning partners will get together according to their own levels of interests and time constraints. They may meet only once, for as little as an hour, or they may decide to spend more time learning together.

Where are you on your spiritual journey? How would you like to grow? What would you like to explore? Is there a skill you would like to learn or develop? Maybe you would like to buddy with a newcomer to our services, become a greeter, or lead the Kiddush prayers. Through this program, you will have the opportunity to study any part of the service that interests you.

We will hold occasional Shabbat morning services, led by Rabbi Jonathan, that will focus on igniting our SPARKS. Congregants will participate in various parts of the service, making the services more special and alive. After the service, we will have a lunch-and-learn with Rabbi Jonathan, where mentors and learning partners can enjoy fellowship and share their learnings and projects.

SPARKS exists to help us tend the fires of our hearts and spirits, empowering us to take active roles in our spiritual community. If you would like to learn or mentor, please contact Gail Albert at galbert44@gmail.com, Pauline Tamari at ptamari@ymail.com, or Ellen Triebwasser at ellent225@gmail.com.