About Us

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WHO WE ARE

Congregation of Israel

Founded in 1967

A Jewish Community Established in Meaningful Living

Founded in 1967, Congregation of Israel was established with a vision of Jewish life that connects timeless Jewish wisdom with the realities of everyday living.

Drawing upon the traditions of Jewish Science and Applied Judaism, our congregation has sought to create a Jewish community where faith, reason, spirituality, learning, and practical living come together. We believe Judaism is not only something we inherit or observe—it is something we can live, experience, and bring into our daily lives.

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Our Beginnings

From the beginning, Congregation of Israel was shaped by a desire to make Judaism meaningful and relevant to modern life. Our foundation in Jewish Science encouraged an approach to Judaism that embraces spiritual understanding while engaging thoughtfully with the world around us.

Jewish Science is grounded in the belief that Jewish spirituality can be explored through both faith and reason. It seeks to understand Judaism not simply as a collection of beliefs or rituals, but as a spiritual way of life that can address the needs of the whole person—mind, body, and spirit.

Among its fundamental ideas is the importance of conscious thought, spiritual awareness, and the power of positive and constructive attitudes. Jewish Science recognizes that the way we understand ourselves, our circumstances, and our relationship with the Divine can influence how we experience and respond to life. Prayer, meditation, reflection, affirmations, and Jewish teachings can become practices that help us develop greater inner peace, resilience, gratitude, and spiritual awareness.

Jewish Science also emphasizes that spirituality need not require us to abandon reason or honest questioning. We are encouraged to think deeply, ask questions, and seek understanding. Jewish tradition itself has a long history of questioning, interpretation, debate, and discovery. In this spirit, Jewish Science encourages an approach to faith that is intellectually open and personally meaningful.

Applied Judaism extends this philosophy into the practical circumstances of daily life. It is Judaism put into practice—not simply learning what Jewish tradition teaches, but asking how those teachings can affect the way we actually live.

Applied Judaism invites us to bring Jewish values into our relationships, our families, our work, our communities, and our responses to life’s challenges. It asks us to consider how concepts such as compassion, gratitude, responsibility, forgiveness, justice, loving-kindness, and hope can become everyday practices.

Together, Jewish Science and Applied Judaism encourage us to make Judaism an active part of our lives. They remind us that Jewish wisdom has relevance not only during worship or on holidays, but also when we face uncertainty, make important decisions, experience loss, celebrate milestones, build relationships, and search for meaning.

The Fundamentals of Our Approach

At the heart of our tradition is the belief that Judaism can speak to the whole person—mind, body, and spirit.

We value:

Faith and reason

We embrace spiritual questions while encouraging thoughtful inquiry, intellectual honesty, and an open mind.

Spiritual awareness

We seek to become more conscious of the sacred dimension of life and our connection to something greater than ourselves.

The power of thought and attitude

We recognize the importance of cultivating constructive thoughts, hope, gratitude, and a sense of possibility while facing life’s circumstances honestly.

Prayer and meditation

Prayer can be a source of reflection, connection, comfort, and renewal. Moments of quiet and contemplation can help us become more aware of our inner lives and spiritual resources.

Affirmative spiritual practice

Rather than focusing only on fear or limitation, we seek to affirm life, possibility, healing, gratitude, and the enduring values of our Jewish tradition.

Personal responsibility

Applied Judaism encourages us to consider how our choices, words, attitudes, and actions affect ourselves and others.

Practical Jewish living

Jewish values become most meaningful when they are carried into our everyday choices, relationships, and actions.

Compassion and community

Caring for others and offering support are essential expressions of Jewish life.

Lifelong learning

Judaism encourages us to ask questions, explore ideas, examine our assumptions, and continue growing throughout our lives.

Meaning in everyday experience

Ordinary moments can become opportunities for gratitude, reflection, connection, and spiritual growth.

These principles do not suggest that life will be free of difficulty. Rather, they offer ways of approaching life’s joys and challenges with greater awareness, perspective, and spiritual strength.

Judaism for Everyday Life

At Congregation of Israel, we believe Jewish tradition offers wisdom for the whole journey of life.

Our Jewish heritage can help us find strength during difficult times, gratitude during moments of joy, compassion in our relationships, and purpose in the choices we make. We value the questions as much as the answers and recognize that Jewish life can be a lifelong process of learning, reflection, and growth.

Applied Judaism encourages us to ask how Jewish values can become practical resources for living. How do we respond when life brings uncertainty? How do we cultivate healthier and more compassionate relationships? How do we find meaning in ordinary moments? How do we transform gratitude into action and compassion into service?

Jewish Science similarly encourages us to look within—to become aware of our thoughts, beliefs, fears, hopes, and spiritual resources—and to develop practices that can help us meet life with greater understanding and purpose.

These are not separate from Jewish life—they are part of it.

Our community seeks to create a place where people can explore their Jewish identity and spirituality in ways that are thoughtful, welcoming, and personally meaningful.

Honoring Our Past, Embracing Our Future

Since 1967, generations of members have contributed to the life and spirit of Congregation of Israel. We are grateful for those who built our congregation, nurtured its traditions, and carried its vision forward.

Today, we continue that journey.

We honor the foundations upon which Congregation of Israel was built while remaining open to new ideas, new generations, and new expressions of Jewish life. Our goal is to keep Judaism alive—not simply as a connection to the past, but as a source of wisdom, inspiration, community, and meaning for today and tomorrow.

The principles of Jewish Science and Applied Judaism continue to remind us that Jewish tradition can be both deeply established and forward-looking—grounded in the wisdom of the past while addressing the questions and experiences of contemporary life.

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A Place to Belong

Congregation of Israel is more than a place to worship. It is a community where people can gather, learn, celebrate, reflect, remember, and support one another.

Whether you have been part of Jewish life for generations or are simply beginning to explore what Judaism might mean to you, we invite you to find a place within our community.

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