Mishkan Ha'am The Westchester-Riverdale
Reconstructionist Group
Who We Are
Welcome
to Mishkan Ha'am! We're a growing community dedicated to serving as a
bridge between the search for religious identity and the demands of the
secular world. As a Reconstructionist congregation, we integrate a deep
respect for traditional Judaism with the insights, ideas, and
innovations growing from contemporary life. If you are interested in
Jewish religion, spirituality, culture, history and philosophy, there
is a place for you here, whether you are a senior citizen or a child,
single or married, gay or straight, part of an interfaith household,
one with longstanding Jewish practice, or no previous Jewish
affiliation.
About
half of our members live in southern Westchester County and half live
in the Riverdale/Kingsbridge area of the Bronx. At present, many of our
ongoing programs take place at the the Reform Church of Hastings, 18
Farragut Avenue in Hastings-on-Hudson, while we look for a more
permanent home in the Riverdale-Yonkers-Hastings area.
Led
by Benjamin Weiner, a student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical
College, we gather for Shabbat services two weekends each month -
typically providing a service and discussion for adults on Friday
night, and a service geared for children and adults on alternate
Saturday mornings, as well as Havdalah services combined with other
programming on Saturday evenings. We also gather as a community to
celebrate holidays and life cycle events together and organize regular
programs related to the Jewish experience.
Our
Hebrew School meets weekly and offers classes for children ranging in
age from 6-year-olds to Bar and Bat Mitzvah. In addition, during the
year in which families approach Bar/Bat Mitzvah, parents and young
people together share in a unique group exploration in preparation for
the milestone event.
Our
Adult education program includes Thursday evening seminars, a study
group that meets monthly to discuss selected readings, and monthly
Saturday evening Havdalah discussions. Tikkun Olam/Social Action
committee organizes and invites adult and family participation in local
community needs and beyond.
All
of this activity occurs only with the active participation of our
members, each of whom brings something unique to our community. Mishkan
Ha’am’s community, the “tent of the people,” is
constructed of the gifts that each one brings: the faith and doubts
shared, the questions voiced, the wisdom offered, the melodies sung,
the compassion shown, as well as the many forms of hands-on assistance
needed to bring activities to life.
For more information about Mishkan Ha’am:
Tobie Reisler, President: mishkanhaam@gmail.com
Phone: (914) 478-4996
Mishkan Ha’am is a member of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, www.jrf.org.
Please Note:
All
services/programs, including Hebrew School, are held at the Reformed
Church of Hastings, 18 Farragut Avenue, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, unless
otherwise specified. Click for directions.