Our services offer a traditional Jewish expression of prayer and study within the context of Reconstructionism’s philosophy of “the past has a vote but not a veto.” There is a combination of Hebrew and English, traditional prayers along with creative readings, and the incorporation of elements that our congregants find meaningful, such as healing prayers and meditation services. There is always an opportunity to bring the personal into the midst of community.
Our Services
We hold Shabbat Services most Friday evenings at Congregation Brith Sholom, in Bethlehem, PA throughout the year. During the summer, we meet twice monthly at either at the synagogue or at a member’s home. There is also a monthly dairy/vegetarian Potluck Shabbat Dinner (that you should never miss), and one Shabbat Morning Torah service a month. Please always check our calendar for the most current times and event details.
Am Haskalah has services or celebrations for most Jewish holidays, as well as special events throughout the year. We have made a commitment to be as accessible as possible in an effort to embrace more of our community. Therefore, we decided to open ourselves to online streaming for ALL services. Due to COVID, we may not always get to meet in person, but we can always find each other on Zoom. Contact us for the link.
We use the Kol Haneshamah series of prayer books, which are an amazing source of inspirational texts, with insightful commentary and moving supplemental material. These Reconstructionist prayer books broke ground with their gender-neutral English text, descriptive references to God’s attributes, new Hebrew and English liturgy, and transliteration of all communally spoken prayers. When joining us on Zoom, the text is shared on the screen so that anyone is able to participate and follow along. A digital copy is available upon request if you’d like to peruse it before you visit.
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