CongregationShearith Israel

Enrich Your Life | Elevate Your Soul | Embrace Your Judaism

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No matter what level of knowledge

and experience you carry with

you, you’ll be transformed by the warmth we extend to you as you pass

through our doors.

Membership Brochure

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Why Shearith Israel?When my wife Jennifer and I were looking to move our family and become part of a new congregation, we were drawn to Shearith Israel for a variety of reasons. We saw a community that had both the stability and strength born from a 130+ year history and the yearning to adapt and develop and re-envision itself strategically as a congregation not just of the past and present, but also of the future. We saw people eager for companionship, friendship, and laughter and hungry for learning, for spirituality, and to help others. And we saw many congregants serving as leaders not only of local Jewish organizations, but also of national ones, powerfully illustrating, by their example, the importance of volunteerism and giving back to our Jewish community.

Now that we have been here for a little while, I can say with confidence that we made the right choice to come to Shearith. We continue to be impressed by the level of energy and constant activity in our community, by the creative spark and willingness to innovate, by the partnership between staff members and lay leaders, and, most importantly, by our sincere desire and continuous efforts to make a synagogue that is quite large feel intimate and welcoming to all. Everyone has their own unique place here, spanning all of the demographics from newborns to centenarians. We share a sense of pride in our shul and excitement for what lies ahead in our next generation. We hope you will consider joining us in that journey and writing yourself into our Shearith story!

B’Yedidut (in Friendship),

Rabbi Ari SunshineSenior Rabbi

Jews see each moment of the day as a spiritual opportunity, a chance to bring something sacred into the chaos and busyness of our daily lives. That’s why, at Shearith Israel, we curate a menu of ritual experiences that speak directly to the hearts and minds of our diverse membership.

On Shabbat and Holidays, lose yourself in the majesty of a traditional service, elevated by the gorgeous voices of our Cantor and choir, or head across the hall to join a drum circle in an intimate, light-filled chapel. Refresh your spirit with an hour of soulful prayer, punctuated by inspirational rabbinic teachings, then challenge your intellect and your assumptions with a lively discussion of ancient Jewish texts that enlighten our contemporary experience.

No matter how you enter into our sacred spaces, no matter what level of knowledge and experience you carry with you, you’ll be transformed by the warmth we extend to you as you pass through our doors and you will be nurtured by the words and melodies that will nourish your soul long after you leave.

Sacred Time

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Congregation Shearith Israel fosters deep connections with our community, our Torah, and our God.

Sacred Space Membership Brochure

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While you’re with us, you’ll be uplifted by the beautiful building that serves as our spiritual home. We are fortunate to have three unique prayer spaces, each with their own sensibility and character:

The Aaron Family Main Sanctuary seats upwards of 700 people and is the foundation stone of our original Douglas campus. The exquisite stain-glass-framed ark serves as the centerpiece of the soaring bimah. This is where our largest High Holy Day services takes place.

The 450 seat Beck Family Sanctuary is both inviting and inspiring. Its circular design is designed to close the distance between bimah and congregation, prayer leader and worshiper. With its high ceilings, stunning glass windows, and view of the peaceful Tycher Sacred Garden, this Sanctuary is an ideal space for Shabbat and Holiday celebrations and lifecycle events.

Our Fonberg Family Chapel, adorned with a beautiful glass menorah and framed by floor to ceiling windows allows you to connect with the beautiful backdrop of the rising and setting sun. The chapel is a favorite of many who desire a more intimate sacred space. In addition to our Daily Minyan, the Fonberg Family Chapel also hosts alternative Shabbat services, including the lay-led Topletz Minyan and Family Center celebrations.

No synagogue would be complete without a social hall and we have two! The larger Kaplan Auditorium hosts weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvah luncheons and parties, while our Topletz Auditorium is often used for Shabbat dinners and synagogue programs.

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A 21st century synagogue is more than one community. It’s many different communities united under one vision; one mission. That’s why Shearith Israel offers you multiple pathways to find meaning, joy, comfort, and connection with other Jews who share your values, your life experiences, and your passions.

First and foremost, we are here for each other. We comfort our mourners and mark yahrtzeits at our twice-daily minyans. Our clergy make home and hospital visits, and our lay volunteers deliver meals to new parents and aging grandparents.

Learning. Our rabbis teach Torah inside our building and out in the community. They lead discussions about current Jewish trends, and offer ancient wisdom to spark conversations about interpersonal relationships.

Social Justice. Join us as we partner with local non-profits to combat homelessness or increase literacy and access to education.

Help organize the hundreds and hundreds of pounds of food we collect each year for the JFS Food Pantry or join our religious school kids in making thousands of sandwiches for the Austin Street Shelter.

Israel. RSVP for a Shabbat dinner and hear from experts in Israeli politics, history, and literature. Attend the AIPAC Policy Conference with 75 of your fellow congregants. Or hop on a plane and travel with us to the Holy Land and tour its spiritual heights with our klei kodesh.

Food. You’ll never go hungry at our shul. Shabbat lunch is on us every week. Or maybe you enjoy good conversation over a glass of wine or a shot of scotch. Come to one of our teachings and tastings and sample some fine spirits as our rabbis share scandalous stories from the Talmud.

Connection

Membership Brochure

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It’s quite a sight, on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, to see generations of families — hundreds of people — gathered in each of our three service locations. It’s equally powerful to participate in a smaller community event on any given evening, knowing that, at the same time, a half-dozen or so Shearith-led gatherings are happening across the building or across the metroplex.

Some of our sub-communities go back decades, while others were formed recently, to meet our ever-evolving approach to engaging our membership. Some examples:

Shearith Israel SISterhood. Programming, philanthropy, and fun thanks to the hundreds of women who make SISterhood a vibrant center for Dallas Jewish women. Also runs the best Judaica shop in town. Pillars: A Hazak Community. Seniors meet regularly to kibbutz over bingo and lunch or catch a flick in our Pidgeon Family Theater.

Shorashim. Opportunities for both our religious and day school students to make some mischief or make a difference in our community.

College Connection. Remember those care packages your parents sent you at

school? Of course you don’t! But our college students do.

Sulam for Purposeful Living. After the kids have all gone away, the adults come together to learn and play.

Community. Of course, we organize countless opportunities to both lead and serve. Perhaps you'd like to be a part of

our Mishloach Manot committee and help deliver bags of goodies to more than 1000 homes before Purim. Or join our music committee and plan concerts with famous Jewish performers from around the world.

With so much to do and so many amazing people to meet at our shul, you’ll find more than just a spiritual place, you’ll find a sacred purpose.

Congregation Shearith Israel offers you multiple pathways to find meaning, joy, comfort, and connection with other Jews.

Jews of every age search for sacred connection. And at Shearith Israel, we believe that search shouldn’t be put on hold between Bar Mitzvah and the wedding canopy, or enrolling your first child in religious school. The search must be compelling at every stage of life. That’s why we’re so committed to empowering young Jews to find their own pathway to spiritual fulfillment and Jewish communal engagement. We are committed to making that journey as exciting and accessible as possible.

Our thriving 20s and 30s group meets regularly for home-hosted Shabbat dinners and learning sessions at local bars, and enjoys the occasional night out on the town. Our programming is organized and run by our council of fun-loving and passionate young adults who are committed to Jewish living, learning, and service.

20s, 30s & Young Families

Membership Brochure

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The Family Center, a community for parents with young children, is animated by a philosophy of creativity, connection, and celebration. Our busy event schedule offers Shabbat and holiday experiences at our Douglas location and in Far North Dallas at Levine Academy, so that no matter where you live, you can find your way home. Bring your kids to a Shababa service, our annual Tiny Treasures ceremony, our Family Seder, or our famous Messy Party. Here, you’ll find a place where Judaism is a playground and the kids are our guides. We take direction from their uninhibited love and their unbridled joy at discovering their world, and through their exuberance, adults will also be re-inspired to kindle beautiful Jewish experiences at Shearith and at home.

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In our Weitzman Family Religious School, we don’t just teach our students about Judaism — we teach them to love Judaism, and to love living a Jewish life.

When we pray together we teach our children the words, we foster a space where their hearts can build a lasting connection with the emotions behind their meaning. Ritual skills are strengthened through hands-on, experiential learning, often in partnership with parents. And because we are committed to meeting the needs of each and every one of our talmidim (students), Hebrew instruction is individualized thanks to our low teacher/student ratio.

In our Lower School, we teach our kids how to “do Jewish,” but in our High School program, we teach our teens to

“think Jewish,” providing them with the essential questions necessary to maintain a life-long dialogue with our ancient tradition.

Our Kesher (special needs) Program accommodates children with all learning needs and offers individualized Hebrew tracks for emergent readers to ensure all students develop a comfort level and love of Judaism and the Hebrew language.

It’s a source of great pride that our students enjoy their learning, adore their teachers, build strong connections with each other, our community and our klei kodesh. Students come to truly understand what an amazing gift it is to be Jewish.

Weitzman Family Religious School

“It’s wonderful to have my children know so much, that they end up becoming our teachers!”—WFRS Parent

Membership Brochure

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Klei KodeshOur Rabbis, Cantor, and Ritual Director

At Shearith Israel, we don’t use the word clergy. Instead, we refer to our remarkable team of Jewish ritual professionals as klei kodesh, which means, “vessels of holiness.” Their calling is not to embody sanctity, but to channel it. And their place is not up on high, far removed from the congregation, but embedded and immersed in it. For what good is a sacred container, if it can’t be easily accessed?

But our klei kodesh are more than just accessible — they are warm, caring, and deeply invested in the lives of our members.

As teachers they are inspiring, challenging, and charismatic. Rather than lecture, they invite you into a conversation that is at once ancient and familiar and yet entirely new and unexpected. When they stand under a wedding canopy, or beside two new parents entering their child into the Covenant

of the Jewish people, or in the presence of a grieving family, the words they share reflect a true knowledge of the souls in their care, refracted through the prism of the Jewish tradition.

And they also know how to have fun. They’ll sing until they’re hoarse on Simchat Torah, regale you with parodied Broadway showtunes on Purim, challenge you and your friends in a fantasy baseball league, and pull out their best Cookie Monster imitation to get a laugh out of their youngest buddies.

Their philosophy of leadership is not just to inspire, but also to empower — so that each person in our community can contain and transmit holiness in their own lives for their families and for the Jewish people.

Membership Brochure

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Join UsIn 1884, twelve Jews gathered in the back of Wasserman’s store on Elm Street in Dallas and founded a small, fledgling synagogue. They named it Shearith Israel, or “the remnant of Israel.” Nearly a century and a half later, those pioneers would, no doubt, be astonished by what our members see each and every day — a thriving, vibrant community of a thousand families.

Quite simply, Shearith Israel is a pillar of Jewish Dallas. We pride ourselves on the legacy built by generations of Conservative Jews committed to preserving the sacred traditions of our past, creating a compelling vision for our present, and constantly dreaming, with creativity and audacity, about the Jewish future we will build together.

Shearith Israel is a community of leaders in thought and in deed. Our generous commitment sustains us, gives life to Jewish institutions across Dallas, and strengthens our unbreakable bond with the homeland of our people, the State of Israel. Our members — first and seventh generation alike — are a family, joined together in a warm embrace that will see you through the cycles of a meaningful Jewish life.

We invite you to join our family, so that together we can fulfill our mission: to enrich our lives, elevate our souls, and embrace our Judaism.

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Together we can fulfill our mission: to enrich our lives, elevate our souls, and embrace our Judaism.

Membership

Membership Brochure

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Our shul is more than a building, it is a community and a spiritual home, where our klei kodesh become your teachers, spiritual mentors and pastoral counselors. Our sanctuary is your sanctuary. When you belong to Shearith, you belong to a warm and loving community of 1,000 families.

Members at Sheraith Israel mark s’machot — sacred, joyous occasions — as well as times of illness and loss with the caring presence of our klei kodesh. Our children are educated with love and creativity as students in our Weitzman Family Religious School and are guided through our top-notch Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation, designed specifically to meet their needs and interests. Dues also include up to two High Holy Day seats. We believe that everyone should be able to call Shearith Israel home, and thanks to our Annual Campaign for Excellence, no one in need of financial assistance is turned away.

Come visit our shul for Shabbat or during the week to meet our klei kodesh team. You’ll enjoy seeing our beautiful building and gardens at your own pace and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have about life in our community.

Membership at Shearith Israel is open to all Jewish people and their spouse/partner and children. People of other faiths may be included in a Family Membership if their spouse/partner is Jewish. Membership spans the one-year period July 1 – June 30. Please speak with the Membership and Program Director for dues information.

CongregationShearith Israel

9401 Douglas Ave, Dallas, TX 75225 | 214-361-6606 | www.shearith.org