We Welcome You
Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Community welcomes all those interested in nurturing their Jewish life and identity. We seek to enrich our lives through study of Torah, prayer, communal celebrations, and working for social justice.
Shir Hadash Is an Inclusive and Egalitarian Community
We welcome all Jews regardless of current levels or past practices of observance. Gay and Lesbian Jews, Jews by choice, Jews of color, and non-Jewish partners are all invited to share in our community.
Shir Hadash creates a sense of community and caring through the active engagement of its members in the way we conduct our services, approach social justice opportunities, and integrate music and the arts into our experience of Judaism.
As a small, participatory community, we appreciate the involvement of all our members. New perspectives, intellectual curiosity, spiritual exploration, and creativity are encouraged and welcome. This is a hallmark of the Reconstructionist movement, which as a modern approach to Judaism seeks to integrate our Jewish identities with the world around us.
Mission Statement
Shir Hadash is a Reconstructionist community committed to empowering and engaging Jews to create a vibrant and participatory Jewish community. Through a progressive approach we encourage and challenge people to find meaning in Jewish life.
Vision Statement
Shir Hadash is a caring and welcoming group guided by the value Judaism places on learning and doing (na’aseh v’nishmah). Through study and prayer, we encounter a tradition that tells us to make a difference in the world by caring for the people around us and the world in which we live. We seek and create opportunities to empower and engage people to participate actively in Jewish life.
Our Core Values
We are committed to the Jewish values of
Torah: Jewish Learning We are dedicated to gaining wisdom from the Jewish experience throughout time and wherever Jews have lived. We approach the study of sacred texts with love, humility and intellectual honesty, seeking to create lifelong learners.
Kehillah: Community We are a conscious community that strives for holiness by dignifying all people as created in the Divine image; acting according to principles of democracy, egalitarianism and menshlikheit, and responsibly caring for and utilizing our human, financial and natural resources.
Tzedek: Justice We strive to pursue justice in the world through sacred service (avodah) and social, economic and environmental justice for all (tzedek).
Ahavat Yisrael: Love of Israel We value both the peoplehood of Israel (Am Yisrael, the people of Israel) and our connection to the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel). We love the people Israel by sharing in the responsibility for the flourishing of our people, and we value the Land and State of Israel as a spiritual, intellectual and historical center of the Jewish people.
Yahadut Mitkhadashet: Recontructionist Judaism We value the wisdom of our ancestors and recognize that in every generation we are obligated to wrestle with our traditions, to infuse meaning into Jewish practices and to add our voices to the chain of tradition. We embark upon this enterprise with humility, courage, creativity and joy.