WELCOMING & DIVERSE SYNAGOGUES

“Every Jew needs to feel connected and every Jew needs to feel at home.”

Village Synagogue-Ethiopian Embroidery
Village Synagogue, Ethiopian Embroidery Project, NACOEJ


A QUESTION TO CONSIDER WHEN REQUESTING TO BE LISTED.


Does your Temple/ Shul /Synagogue provide anti-racism and anti-bias training for all clergy, staff, lay leaders, childhood center, religious school, and security contractors, and provide opportunities for such training to congregants?

RESOURCES:
URJ AUDACIOUS HOSPITALITY
WHO ARE JEWS OF COLOR (JOC)?
RACIAL INCLUSIVITY CHECKLIST
CREATING A WELCOMING CULTURE

Below is a list of synagogues with diverse and inclusive congregations. Some listings are from people who have attended the synagogues and have felt comfortable and are now recommending them. Others have recommended their own Synagogues/ Temples as being welcoming and inclusive of all Jews.


To have your synagogue/ temple listed, please send an email to: MochaJuden or leave a message below.

The list is in order of movement & state abbreviations.

Conservative

Conservative Judaism (also known as “Historical Judaism” and “Masorti Judaism”) is a branch of Judaism that moderates between the traditional Orthodox and the progressive Reform branches. Conservative Jews claim it is possible to maintain traditional Jewish elements while continuing in moderated modernization.

CALIFORNIA
BERKELEY: Congregation Netivot Shalom
HIGHLAND: Temple Beth Israel (Independent, Egalitarian)
LOS ANGELES:
Hollywood Temple Beth El (Egalitarian)
Temple Knesset Israel
OAKLAND: Temple Beth Abrahamland
SAN FRANCISCO: Congregation Beth Sholom
SAN LEANDRO: Temple Beth Shalom (Reform Rabbi, Renewal Cantor)
SANTA ROSA:
Congregation Beth Ami

COLORADO
DENVER: Congregation Rodef Shalom
DENVER: Hebrew Educational Alliance

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (WASHINGTON, DC)
Adas Israel
Tifereth Israel Synagogue (Egalitarian)

ILLINOIS
CHICAGO
 Anshe Emet
Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken (EHC)

ELGIN: Congregation Kneseth Israel
HOMEWOOD:
B’nai Yehuda Beth Shalom
Congregation Am Echad (Egalitarian)
RIVER FOREST: West Suburban Temple Har Zion


INDIANA
INDIANAPOLIS:
Congregation Beth-El Zedeck

MARYLAND
BALTIMORE: Beth Am
FREDERICK: Beth Shalom
POTOMAC: Congregation Har Shalom
ROCKVILLE: Kol Shalom

MICHIGAN
OAK PARK: Congregation Beth Shalom

MINNESOTA:
MINNEAPOLIS: Congregation Adath Jeshrun

NEW JERSEY
HOBOKEN: United Synagogue of Hoboken
NEWARK: Congregation Ahavas Sholom (Eglatarian)
WEST ORANGE: B’nai Shalom

NEW YORK
BRONX: Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale
BROOKLYN: Park Slope Jewish Center
MAHOPAC: Temple Beth Shalom
NEW YORK: Town and Village Synagogue
STATEN ISLAND: Arden Heights Boulevard Jewish Center (Egalitarian Conservative), Etz Chaim

NORTH CAROLINA
ASHVILLE: Beth Israel
GREENSBORO:Beth David Synagogue

OHIO
CINCINNATI: Northern Hills Synagogue-B’nai Avraham
COLUMBUS:Congregation Tifereth Israel

PENNSYLVANIA
ERDENHEIM: Congregation Beth Tikvah Bnai Jeshurun
MT AIRY, PHILADELPHIA: Germantown Jewish Centre

TEXAS
BELLAIRE: Congregation Brith Shalom

HOUSTON: Congregation Or Ami

VIRGINIA
ARLINGTON: Congregation Etz Hayim

WISCONSIN
MADISON:
Beth Israel Center  (Tradition, Egalitarian Conservative)

INTERNATIONAL

UNITED KINGDOM:
LONDON: New London Synagogue (Masorti)

Humanistic

Humanistic Judaism embraces a human-centered philosophy that combines the celebration of Jewish culture and identity with an adherence to humanistic values and ideas.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (WASHINGTON, DC)
Machar, The Washington Congregation for Secular Humanistic Judaism

NEW YORK
NEW YORK CITY: City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism

NORTH CAROLINA
ASHVILLE: Jewish Secular Congregaton of Ashville

PENNSYLVANIA
PHILADELPHIA: Jewish Children’s Folkshul and Adults Community

Reconstructing

Reconstructionist Judaism is a progressive, contemporary approach to Jewish life that integrates a deep respect for traditional Judaism with the insights and ideas of contemporary social, intellectual and spiritual life.
CALIFORNIA
IRVINE:
University Synagogue

ILLINOIS

WHEELING: Shir Hadash Reconstructionist

INDIANA
INDIANAPOLIS:
Congregation Beth-El Zedeck

MARYLAND-
BETHESDA:
Adat Shalom

MASSACHUSETTS
WEST ROXBURY: Temple Hillel B’nai Torah

MINNESOTA
DELUTH:     Temple Israel

NEW JERSEY
MONTCLAIR: B’nai Keshet Reconstructionist Synagogue

NEW YORK
MANHATTAN: SAJ-Society for the Advancement of Judaism

NEW YORK CITY: West End Synagogue
WHITE PLAINS: Bet Am Shalom

NORTH CAROLINA
CHAPEL HILL: Kehillah Synagogue

PENNSYLVANIA
PHILADELPHIA:

Leyv Ha-Ir
Kol Tzedek
Mishkan Shalom

WISCONSIN
MILWAUKEE: Congregation Shir Hadash, Milwaukee, WI

INTERNATIONAL

CANADA:
TORONTO, ONTARIO: Congregation Darchei Noam

Reform

Reform Judaism is the most liberal expression of modern Judaism. Reform Jews affirm the central tenets of Judaism while acknowledging a great diversity in Reform Jewish beliefs and practices.

CALIFORNIA
BAKERSFIELD: Temple Beth El
CALABASAS: Congregation Or Ami
San Pedro: Temple Beth El
LOS ANGELES:
Beth Chayim Chadashim (House of New Life)
Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills
OAKLAND: Temple Sinai
WEST HOLLYWOOD: Congregation Kol Ami

COLORADO
Denver: Temple Emanuel

FLORIDA
BOCA RATON:
Temple Beth El
MIAMI: Temple Israel of Greater Miami
PORT ST LUCIE: Congregation Eitz Chaim
TORPON SPRINGS: Congregation B’nai Emmunah

GEORGIA
Sandy Springs: Temple Sinai

ILLINOIS
OLYMPIA FIELDS: Temple Anshe Sholom
SKOKIE: Congregation Bene Shalom

INDIANA
INDIANAPOLIS: Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation


KENTUCKY
LOUISVILLE: The Temple, Cong. Adath Israel Brith Sholom

MAINE
BANGOR: Congregation Beth El
SOUTH PORTLAND: Bet Ha’im

MARYLAND
ROCKVILLE:
Temple Beth Ami

MASSACHUSETTS
BOSTON: Temple Israel
BROOKLINE: Temple Sinai
CAPE COD, FALMOUTH: Falmouth Jewish Congregation
HINGHAM: Congregation Sha’aray Shalom

MINNESOTA
DELUTH:    Temple Israel
MINNEAPOLIS:  Shir Tikvah

MISSOURI
ST LOUIS: Central Reform Congregation

NEW HAMPSHIRE
CONCORD: Temple Beth Jacobs

NEW JERSEY
BRICK: Temple Beth Or
NEW BRUNSWICK: Temple B’nai Shalom
SOUTH ORANGE: Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel

NEW YORK
BROOKLYN: Temple Beth Emeth v’Ohr Progressive Shaari Zedek
FORREST HILLS: Reform Temple of Forest Hills
TROY: Congregation Berith Sholom
NEW YORK CITY:
Metropolitan Synagogue
Central Synagogue

PORT WASHINGTON: Community Synagogue
STATEN ISLAND: Temple Israel Reform Congregation of Staten Island
YORKTOWN HEIGHTS: Temple Beth Am

NORTH CAROLINA
GREENSBORO:
Temple Emanuel

OHIO
BEACHWOOD: Temple Tifereth Israel
NEW ALBANY: Temple Beth Shalom
WORTHINGTON: Congregation Beth Tikvah

PENNSYLVANIA
ERIE: Temple Anshe Hesed
LANCASTER: Congregation Shaarai Shomayim
MAPLE GLEN: Congregation Beth Or
PHILADELPHIA: Congregation Rodeph Shalom

TEXAS
DALLAS: Temple Shalom
HOUSTON: Congregation Emanu El
HOUSTON: Temple Beth Torah

VIRGINIA
LYNCHBURG: Agudath Sholom Congregation, Lynchburg, VA
RICHMOND:
Beth Ahaba
Congregation Or Ami

INTERNATIONAL

CANADA
ALBERTA: Temple Beth Ora, Edmonton
MONTREAL, QUE: Temple Emanu-El-Beth Shalom
TORONTO: Holy Blossom Temple

UNITED KINGDOM
LONDON: Southgate Progressive Synagogue

Renewal (Jewish Renewal – JR)

Jewish Renewal is a recent movement in Judaism which endeavors to reinvigorate modern Judaism with mystical, Hasidic, musical and meditative practices.

CALIFORNIA
PIEDMONT: Kehilla Community Synagogue

NEW YORK
NEW PALTZ: Kol Hai: Hudson Valley Jewish Renewal
NEW YORK CITY: Romemu, Upper Westside

Traditional/ Orthodox

Orthodox Judaism believes that both the Written and Oral Torah are of divine origin, containing the exact words of God without any human influence.

ALABAMA
BIRMINGHAM:
Chabad of Alabama
Knesseth Israel Congregation

ARIZONA
FLAGSTAFF: Chabad of Flagstaff

CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES: B’nai David-Judea Congregation (Modern Orthodox)
OAKLAND: Beth Jacob Congregation
SAN FRANCISCO: Adath Israel (Modern Orthodox)

COLORADO
DENVER: DAT Minyan

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (WASHINGTON, DC)
Kesher Israel (Modern Orthodox), Georgetown Synagogue
Ohev Sholom-National Synagogue

GEORGIA
Atlanta: Congregation Shaarei Shamayim

ILLINOIS
CHICAGO: Ohel Shalom Torah Center

MARYLAND
BALTIMORE:
B’nai Israel (Modern Orthodox)

Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah Hebrew Congregation
ROCKVILLE: Magen David Sephardic Congregation-Beit Eliahu Synagogue (Modern Orthodox)

MASSACHUSETTS
MALDEN: Beth Israel

MISSOURI
ST LOUIS: Bais Abraham Congregation (Modern Orthodox)

NEW JERSEY
JERSEY CITY: Congregation Mt. Sinai
MONTCLAIR: Chabad of Montclair
TEANECK:
Congregation B’nai Yeshurun (Modern Orthodox)
Congregation Netivot Shalom

NEW YORK
ALBANY: Congregation Beth Abraham-Jacob
BRONX: Hebrew Institute of Riverdale
BROOKLYN: Congregation Kol Israel (Chassidic to Modern Orthodox)

MT VERNON: Fleetwood Synagogue (Modern Orthodox)
NEW YORK CITY:
Chabad of Harlem
Congregation Ramath Orah
Congregation Shearith Israel-The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue

Kehillat Harlem
Mount Sinai Jewish Center of Washington Heights

Old Broadway Synagogue
The Beis Community (Washington Heights)

NORTH CAROLINA
CARY: Chabad of Cary

PENNSYLVANIA
FORT WASHINGTON: Chabad Lubavitch of Montgomery County
PHILADELPHIA: Mikveh Israel

RHODE ISLAND
PROVIDENCE: Congregation Beth Shalom

WASHINGTON
SEATTLE: Bikur Cholim Machzikay Hadath Congregation (BCMH)
SEATTLE: Congregation Ezra Bessaroth (Sephardic)
SEATTLE: Seattle Sephardic Network
TACOMA: Chabad of Pierce County of Tacoma

INTERNATIONAL

DENMARK
Copenhagen:
Shir Hatzafon (Reform/ Progressive)

FRANCE
PARIS: Adath Shalom, 8 rue George Bernard Shaw (near to the Eiffel Tower) +33(0)1 45679796, 75015 Paris, FRANCE

ISRAEL
JERUSALEM:
Kehillat Yedidya (Modern Orthodox), Baka
Kehillat Shira Hadasha (Halakhic Egalitarian)
Yakar – Ctr for Tradition & Creativity

GAN: Ramat Chen, Ramat
TEL AVIV: Yakar – Ctr for Tradition & Creativity

UNITED KINGDOM
LONDON:

Bevis Marks Synagogue,  London
Holland Park Synagogue, Sephardic, West London
New London Synagogue, London (Masorti)
New West End Synagogue, London

Unaffiliated, Non or Post or Multi-Denominational

Congregations and educational institutions that reject conventional denominations. Can be non-denominational or post-denominational. They are not aligned with Orthodoxy, Conservatism, Reform, Renewal, or Reconstructionism. 

CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES:
IKAR
Nashuva

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (WASHINGTON, DC)

Beit Mishpachah, Egalitarian
Fabrangen, Egalitarian
Sixth & I, Multi-Denominational
Tikkun Leil Shabbat, Egalitarian

NEW YORK
BROOKLYN: Kolot Chayeinu, Brooklyn, NY
CITY ISLAND: Temple Beth-El (Shul by the Sea) City Island, NY

NEW YORK CITY:
Congregation B’Nai Jeshurun
Fort Tryon Jewish Center
Kaballah Center of New York
Lab/Shul (Pop-Up, Experimental)
The Shul of New York, East Village, NYC
PLEASANTVILLE: Pleasantville Community Synagogue
RIVERDALE: Congregation Tehillah
WOODSTOCK: Kehillat Lev Shalem •Woodstock Jewish Congregation

VIRGINIA
VIENNA: Fabrangen West, Egalitarian

On-line Communities

OneShul, Post-denominational, Egalitarian
Sim Shalom, Jewish Universalist

Article: Tablet Magazine featuring MochaJuden.com: Synagogues Need To Welcome And Celebrate Jewish Diversity

VIEW: Ten Principles of Big Tent Judaism

How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwelling places, O Israel. In your abundant  lovingkindness, O Gd, let me enter Your house, reverently to worship in Your holy temple.


May the door to this synagogue be wide enough
to receive all who hunger for love,
all who are lonely for fellowship.
May it welcome all who have cares to unburden,
thanks to express, hopes to nurture.
May the door of this synagogue be narrow enough
to shut out pettiness and pride, envy and enmity.
May its threshold be no stumbling block
to young or straying feet.
May it be too high to admit complacency,
selfishness and harshness.
May this synagogue be, for all who enter,
young and old, the doorway to a richer
and more meaningful life
–The Siddur for Reform Jewish Prayer

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
for brothers to dwell together in unity.”

“olam echad, Hashem echad, ha’am echad
(one world, one G!d, one people)

“It is not your responsibility to finish the work [of perfecting the world], but you are not free to desist from it either.” Rabbi Tarfon, Pirke Avot 2:21.

Welcoming & Diverse Synagogue List developed 2003 – 2023 by Shirley Gindler-Price aka MochaJuden.

Leave a Reply

Latest Tweets

  • MochaJudenBHM Cape May Cty NJ: Wildwood was an entertainment hub for AA performers. Not permitted to stay in YT hotels local… https://t.co/krmMiw5qSZ - posted on 02/02/2023 12:50:08

  • MochaJudenHanna Jahanforooz MORNING https://t.co/fbhsFZ51af - posted on 31/01/2023 12:49:08

  • MochaJudenGela by Abyssinia Infinite featuring Ejigayehu "Gigi" Shibabaw https://t.co/DGu1flDaDc - posted on 30/01/2023 18:05:41

  • MochaJudenGela by Abyssinia Infinite feat. Ejigayehu "Gigi" Shibabaw - (Zion Roots): https://t.co/bIb3lxxSMf - posted on 30/01/2023 18:02:42

  • MochaJudenHBCU Dillard University Re-Launches the Dillard University National Center for Black-Jewish Relations in New Orlean… https://t.co/am6V5HTzwv - posted on 29/01/2023 16:40:46

Post Calendar
March 2024
S M T W T F S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31