Worship

Our services are rooted in tradition, but are always turning outward to establish a link with the modern world. This underscores the relevance of living a Jewish life in today's society.

Services are held each Friday night throughout the year, with monthly family services specially tailored to young people.

There are both adult and junior choirs to add to the richness of the services an increase the participation of the congregation. Special services are also held on all of the major holidays.

In addition, all or the important life cycle events are observed, including ceremonies for Consecration, Bar and Bat Mitzvah and Confirmation.

Besides being a house of worship, Sinai Temple is a community. It is a place where Jews gather to be with other Jews, where friendships are forged and relationships develop. The many pictures in our hallways make this attribute of Sinai Temple quite clear. Some of our many pictures can be enjoyed on this web site.

New: We would like to maintain contact with the young adults who grew up with us and have now moved on to college and to work in other locations. Please help us by providing us with their addresses on a form on this site.

Sinai Temple has a number of special events that foster a spirit of community. These include bus trips to New York City, a Temple picnic, concerts and plays developed by the Cantor, and special fundraising events such as a semi-annual rummage sale and a biannual goods and services auction.

A discussion group for mixed married couples meets monthly in the homes of members to talk about some of the issues they all face and to offer support and understanding.

Our Shalom Committee reflects a recognition that our vital and growing community needs to be always open to welcoming newcomers. We want to help every member become a part of the overall fabric of the Temple.

An active Brotherhood organization offers members an opportunity to meet and grow and work together on projects that benefit the Temple community.

Our Women of Sinai group sponsors speakers and events that are relevant to the changing needs of Jewish women.

Religious School and Hebrew Education are two obvious areas of activity at Sinai Temple. Religious School classes are held on Sundays for youngsters in grades K-7, while Hebrew classes are attended one afternoon a week by youngsters in grades 3-7.

After Bar and Bat Mitzvah, teenagers continue their studies to prepare for Confirmation in Tenth Grade. Studies in Tenth Grade are with the Rabbi.

For adults, there is Torah study with the Rabbi on Saturday mornings during the winter months. Other adult education classes include Jewish literature and ethics, adult Bar and bat Mitzvah, the life cycle, and learning Hebrew.

Once each month, a "Lunch and Learn" session is held in the Oneg Shabbat room at the Temple. Participants are invited to bring their own lunch and discuss a topic of contemporary Jewish concern with the Rabbi.

A more in-depth look at a single issue is provided in the Temple's annual Shabbaton, which starts with the Friday evening service and continues with an extended discussion period on Saturday morning.

Sinai Temple's Social Action Committee takes a leadership role in the area of social justice by working, within the Temple community and outside of it, to address important issues. Projects the committee has sponsored include:

• an American Friends program for Soviet Jews who have just arrived in Springfield

• opening the doors of the Temple one night a month during the winter to offer shelter for the homeless

• organizing volunteers to cook a meal for the homeless several times a year

• create a World Crisis Fund, to quickly respond to critical financial needs, local and worldwide.

The Temple's youth groups are not only vehicles for social interaction among our young people, they are also groups in which these youngsters can begin to learn to take their place in the Jewish world:

• J.O.Y (Junior Organization of Youth) gives seventh and eighth graders a chance to socialize with peers

• Springfield Federation of Temple Youth (SPFTY) introduces out young people to other youngsters, issues and ideas throughout New England and the nation.