Be Our Guest
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Our special programs, generally on weekday evenings, include films, lectures and celebrations.
Stop by any of these and introduce yourself to our Rabbi or Cantor or one of our Board members. We are all very approachable and will do our best to answer any questions you have about The Village Temple or Judaism in general.
As Reform Jews, we are committed to actively welcoming all and building a vibrant, inclusive and diverse synagogue community. We embrace the mitzvah of ahavat ger, the commandment to love the stranger, and thus we welcome those not yet connected to our Jewish community into our congregation.
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The concept of outreach is often referred to by the Hebrew term keiruv, literally, to bring closer. The idea is that the community is obligated to bring the stranger closer to Judaism. At the Village Temple, we believe this is a far too limiting view of outreach. It has often been noted that, today, all Jews are Jews by choice. The import of this statement is that all Jews, even those who are born Jewish, must make a conscious effort to be Jewish in the face of assimilation and competing cultural norms.
Jews make nearly daily choices about how Jewish they will be at any one moment. Many American Jews do not feel commanded or obligated to conform to even the most basic of Jewish standards of behavior. We recognize that our Temple is competing for the hearts and minds of all Jews in downtown Manhattan, those born Jewish, those who have chosen Judaism and those not yet Jewish, as well as their Jewish and non-Jewish partners/spouses.
We offer you the invitation with open arms. It is up to you to choose to enter our gates.
You are welcome to remain a guest for as long as you wish; we hope you will consider becoming a member.
