Joining The Jewish Reform Congregation of Ottawa-Temple Israel
Are you looking for a synagogue that will nourish your Jewish roots while respecting your commitment to contemporary values?
Temple Israel, Ottawa's only Reform congregation, invites you to come and experience our unique community. We are an egalitarian, inclusive synagogue that welcomes non-traditional families, Jews by Choice, and families with a non-Jewish partner.
Come and experience our services where traditional Hebrew flourishes along with more contemporary elements like our mixed (male and female) choir and our female cantorial soloist.
We also offer stimulating and relevant Jewish education for members' children from Kindergarten to Grade 10 at our Temple Israel Religious School.
A limited number of tickets for non-members are available for purchase; the cost can be applied to membership if you join during the year. For more information, please contact our Executive Director at 224-1802.
For more information on the school, please contact our Director of Education at tirs@templeisraelottawa.ca.
Other Information
Dues
Membership booklet - this information package will answer some of the questions you have about Temple Israel
Temple brochure
A Message from our Rabbi
Temple Israel occupies a unique position in Canada’s National Capital. Founded in 1966, Temple Israel is Ottawa’s only Refomr Jewish Congregation. We are united with nearly one thousand congregations in North America through commitment to a progressive approach to Jewish religious life. Temple Israel is committed to Jewish worship, Jewish practices and Jewish values infused with sensitivity to our people’s traditions. We realize that Judaism is a significant religious force in our lives when it acknowledges the wisdom which each generation uncovers.
At Temple Israel you will find that our worship services are participatory, conducted with warmth and dignity. We share a commitment to Keva, the fixed component, as well as Kavannah, the opportunity for personal, original expression of prayer.
Temple Israel is a sacred community. It is a home for familes of all constellations, for individuals whose life choices are varied, and for all age groups. What unites us is a personal commitment to pursue the sacred in a community of like-minded Jews.
Baruchim Habaim! Welcome to Temple Israel!
Rabbi Steven Garten
Temple Israel Vision Statement (passed by the Board of Directors February 24, 2005)
Temple Israel is a sacred Jewish community.
This means we are different than businesses, social clubs or other organizations because we emphasize the holiness and spiritual nature of our community and we put an emphasis on being Jewish.
We provide our members with opportunities to strengthen their identities as Jews and to discover and pursue their personal pathways to the Divine.
The traditional holy congregation was a house of prayer, house of study and house of assembly. We aspire to be all three. We recognize our important role in linking Jews to their heritage and to one another so that all of our members have opportunities to pray, learn and engage each other. One of our primary purposes is to help people find personal ways to relate to God.
We aspire to be a large diverse group whose members volunteer their time and see their efforts bearing fruit. Together with our professional staff we want to create a vibrant community whose members are connected in multiple and overlapping ways - Where members know that they will be there for one anther when the need arises.
Our programs and activities reflect a deep commitment to thoughtful implementation of Jewish tradition.
We have a liberal orientation to Jewish practice. We do not bind ourselves to strict adherence to halakhah. Instead we thoughtfully consider ways of making our Jewish tradition relevant and meaningful in our current world.
We belong to the Union of Reform Judaism. Nevertheless, the value we place on being thoughtful and intentional in our practices prevents us from uniformly binding ourselves to Reform doctrine.
We are committed to providing a warm and inclusive environment for all of the members of our diverse community.
We make sure that all of our members have the same opportunities to participate in all that we do - regardless of previous religious affiliation, gender, sexual preference, nationality, or age. In this spirit, we honour, affirm and celebrate all loving relationships between Jews regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
We support each other on our personal journeys through communal programs of Learning, Prayer, Music and Social Action.
Learning, Prayer, Music and Social Action are the primary program areas where we will focus our resources and efforts. The goal of each is to help our members grow and to deepen their experience of being Jews and to support their experience of the Divine. We strive to ensure that each program area reinforces the experiences and learning in the other program areas. We will structure our programs to overlap and to give members of our diverse community opportunities to connect with each other in a variety of ways.
Together we celebrate, console, build friendships and explore our Jewish identities.
Temple Israel is the place where our members and their families celebrate life cycle events that are both joyous and not. It is also a place where people with different backgrounds and histories can explore and deepen their Jewish identities and practices. We want a community where members know that they can count on each other for support and help in times of personal challenge or in carrying out various volunteer activities.
We place great importance on our relationship with the State of Israel and its people.
We are proud to be part of the larger Ottawa Jewish community and are dedicated to playing our part in ensuring that Ottawa continues to maintain a flourishing and vibrant Jewish presence.
We hope this information package will answer some of the questions you have about Temple Israel. Please feel free to contact our Executive Director, Heather Cohen, for more information.
Mission Statement
Temple Israel is a Reform Jewish community dedicated to Torah, Tzedakah and Avodah in a fiscally responsible manner.
