Our Friday evening service consists of Ma’ariv and Kabbalat Shabbat, with a lot of singing and Ruach.  We also occasionally host congregational Shabbat dinners, where we enjoy welcoming the Shabbat together with dinner and zemirot, following the service.

Our Shabbat morning service follows a traditional davening structure with melodies from Sephardi, Mizrahi, and various Eastern European communities.  Our service begins at 9:00 a.m. with pesukei d’zimrah followed by Shacharit and the Torah service. We read the full parshah and haftorah. A sermon follows the haftorah. We continue with Musaf and the concluding prayers. Everyone is encouraged to join in prayerful singing. Services typically conclude before noon — in time to adjourn to the social hall for a lovely kiddush prepared by our Sisterhood. Many congregants choose to sponsor a Shabbat kiddush to share a personal event with the Beth El family. The Shabbat kiddush affords the opportunity to enjoy the spirit of the Shabbat together

We use the Koren Sacks Siddur and our congregation has mixed family seating.

At Beth El, our services are mainly in Hebrew.  The use of our original language allows for all intended meanings of the words to be present in our prayers, continues the tradition, and is a powerful unifying force. By reciting the same prayers in the original language, we follow the footsteps of Jews who have for thousands of years prayed in synagogues around the world.  We understand that some of us are not totally (or some even partially) fluent in Hebrew and our congregation has designed and printed transliterated books for the Friday night service and we have transliterated Prayer books for Saturday services.

Join us and celebrate Shabbat with us.